Communion
by JonathanKonopka
Summary: Luna, an albino Kokiri girl, longs to escape her life, and often runs away to explore the Lost Woods. Refusing to be separated, Luna's guardian fairy, Kibou, loyally seeks her out no matter the odds. Meanwhile, strange things have been going on, with foreigners from other worlds entering Hyrule through the gap between dimensions Ganondorf formed to banish his phantom self long ago.
1. Prologue - The Dream and The Letter

**Prologue**

 **The Dream and The Letter**

"Too bad you have no mother to weep for you, boy." spoke a deep gurgling voice from the blackness, but the voice was not angry, speaking calmly. "Go through the shadows, venture into my realm, where machines twist the flesh of the living, using bodies like jigsaw puzzles. Break the infernal engine. And then, kill the false princess, and take her throne."

The speaker could not be seen, for the darkness covered everything in the strange world of endless shadows, a world dreamt by those sensitive to malevolent forces. From the shadows echoed machinery, the mechanical shadows screeching and clanking.

"How did he survive? The her power drove everyone else into madness and death." a man's voice asked from the darkness.

"Don't know. It must be his connection with the gods of his land." an older man's voice commented.

"He survived, but he is still dying, Ira." a woman's voice commented.

"Stay here, then. I will go find Zelda, she will know what to do, unless..." the man's voice said, then fading footfall echoed, and there was only silence.

The shadows swirled, forming ghostly, ghastly images of black skeletal faces. The faces then gradually transformed into mechanical visages and bodies.

"Here they come again! Reidos, Arak, guard him! Valioh, Jorung, Vreshk, with me! Let's go!" the older man barked, and the sounds of fighting reverberated through the area, as if resonating throughout the darkness itself.

"You will never reach the false princess." the deep guttural voice returned, as if a warning.

"Don't tell me what I can't do, Mikha'el! After I kill her, I am taking your head next!"

"Then show my head to your extinct people, spy, it will be worth seeing." the guttural voice commented, then laughed. "You know your fate, Ira! Write all of this in your letter, so that your past can avoid this future."

 _You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you? If you are sensitive to this malevolence, you have already dreamt of it, and you already know who you are, and what you must do. This realm of shadows is the future, which I will explain to you, Beholder. Awaiting us is a horrible world where flesh and metal gnarl each other, that merged into this one by accident from the gap between dimensions. This abyss has expanded so much, that many other worlds and dimensions have fallen into the opening, connecting many realms together. Time itself ceases to flow properly, with realms and heroes worlds apart appearing where they should not exist._

 _But most of these dimensions and heroes are nothing to worry about. One dimension, the first I have already mentioned, is a realm of never-ending darkness. It is ruled by an otherworldly girl with an obsession of pain, quite the beast of a child, if I can even use the word child for that little monster. None knows her name so far, she has only revealed herself in brief visions to a select few, such as what she has just shown me, and so I write it to you as we agreed, Beholder._

 _Another danger worth noting, is that there are demons from another realm, the demons known as Legion. They can share dreams and thoughts between realms and people, tossing around information as if telling a joke. These demons, Legion, can traverse amongst those who have the memory of them, as if they can journey through our thoughts, dreams and memories. I do not think I will ever be alone. If I can think of them, if I can dream of them, then they are still with me. I see Legion. I will never be alone, I can feel their hungry eyes piercing my body constantly, as if there are real people leaning into my face with their hateful glaring expanding in my own mind. I feel Legion so much that my own dreams attack my mind every night. No matter where I look, I can still see their faces. When I close my eyes, I can still see their faces. Even in the darkness of night, I can still see their faces. In my dreams, I can still see their faces. Their eyes are the blackest, coldest embraces, contorted faces frozen with unending madness. I will never be alone._

 _I avoid your name, and my own, so that the guards sent on their foreign mission—these so-called Apostles—will not destroy my letter. I cannot be too informative or specific in anything less they kill me. But these Apostles think I am one of them, for now. As foreigners, they probably will not even understand what I am writing about anyways, and if you are reading this, then that was the case._

 _I know that deep in the vast forests of Hyrule is a great tree, a sentient guardian, so ancient that he remembers everything since the beginning of the forest, and he could feel changes in his world. I have seen him in my vision, and he surely has seen me. He lives in the mighty forest with his children, strange younglings who can never grow up. They are immortal, but cannot mature to have children. Instead, they have a little-winged companion to guide them in their lives, so that they will always have friendship, a substitute for the inability of procreation I suppose._

 _This is the fate of life: you either are mortal and can have children, or you are immortal and cannot have children. Which would you choose? What if you had no choice? Life is a curse, for you are forced to exist whether you want to or not. But it is a precious curse._

 _The labyrinthine expanse of the mighty forest is so much that foreigners could never hope to go through it; it is beyond their capabilities. Those who wish to journey become lost, and those who wish to destroy, are instead destroyed by the power of the forest._

 _Find the guardian even though you are a foreigner to this world, Beholder. Speak to him, and force him to talk, even if it means risking your life because of me. Tell him I sent you, he will understand. He knows more than I do, he can sense outsiders who come from other dimensions, and he will know when and where the Princess of Suffering will appear in these lands. Tell the guardian never to reveal the princess to anyone, tell him to keep it a secret, so that as few people as possible take that monster's communion. Even those who justly wish to stop her are better off to have never been born._

 _Be quick, for there will be others searching for the guardian, others who, like me, had visions of that princess and search endlessly to find her. They will pretend to be saviours, pretend to be questing heroes, pretend to be followers of balance, to fool the guardian, to trick him that they want to defeat the Princess of Suffering. It is better not to know anything about her, and I pray you will keep this information to yourself, do not share any of it with anyone except the guardian._

 _Beholder, do what you can to stop all of this from happening, so that you protect the most innocent: the immortal children. If I make it home, I will do what I can to protect the Royal Family as my ancestors did, but I am losing hope in that tradition. If the Apostles do not discover I am not one of them, I will first try to meet you at the sentient guardian, but do not wait for me. If I am not there, presume I am dead, and destroy this letter._

 _There are no heroes, no villains, no quests, no Royal Family telling legends and stories to themselves. No light against darkness, no good versus evil, no adventures of truth and justice. All these childish things are long-gone. It seems that the fate of the world depends upon its own people, not a hero. Yes, the inhabitants of these lands, not a hero. They will live, they will die, and they won't even care. They have forgotten who they are, and they don't even care. No fate, but what we make. What we make is our fate._


	2. Chapter 1 - Breath of Night

**Chapter 1**

 **They Awoke to the Breath of Night**

 _As Trivia in the full moon's sweet serene smiles on high among the eternal nymphs whose light paints every part of Heaven's scene..._

 _\- Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy, The Paradiso, Canto XXIII_

The Lost Woods, a mysterious place, a labyrinth of forests and passages filled with wandering spirits, sleeping shadows, and whispering fairies. The old growth forest here stood proudly ancient and endless one summer midnight, the many kinds of trees so dense that they formed many solid walls of living wood in all directions, forming a canopy so thick that the intertwining branches—the everlasting friendship of the trees who would never separate their arms—virtually blocked the outside world beyond the forest as well as the night sky.

Shining through the rare openings amidst the canopy, was the moonlight, pale rays beaming like ghostly spotlights in-between the many kinds of trees, from gnarly oaks to immense evergreens, to fruit trees and nut trees, offering glimpses of the outside world that none bothered to care about.

The darkness of midnight was no reason to stop any activity! Throughout the primal forest, flew many brightly coloured beings, fairies, pixies, nymphs and other creature of light both tiny and adorable, which naturally had bioluminescent bodies that cast a powerful coloured aura, causing them to appear much larger than they actually were. Sometimes a fairy's aura was like a shooting star, forming a tail whenever the little creature flew, or sometimes the aura created snowflake-like shapes that followed along or dropped off the flying being, and soon fading away. The auras shone so strongly that the little creatures were enclosed by their own light, and so brightly that the fairy itself appeared to be like a star in the night sky or a sphere of light, cloaked by light and invisible within their light. The fairies' auras differed, some constantly the same, others expanding and contracting slightly at various speeds, some flickering, and others twinkling, some sometimes changing colour. Perhaps the beings communicated this way?

Every fairy had wings, the smallest fairies with wings so tiny they could not be seen, and so they buzzed around at a steady pace. The bigger fairies, who were still quite small, had two sets of wings, similarly shaped to moths and butterflies.

These baby fairies, like fireflies, danced in the darkness of the woods without a care in the world, only playing and whizzing among themselves, or arching through the formations of stone and logs, playing to show-off their importance. Their light revealed their presence that no shadow could overcome, for no matter how much darkness there could be, the tiniest light always shines through the infinite blackness. So many colours, so much floating wonders, so many flowing and glowing fairies, so much splendour, so many dancing lights, so many innumerable auras, as if in a sudden instance, a mere twinkling, appeared so many fairies that they illuminated the Lost Woods beneath the starry sky.

Materializing from thin air—or so it would seem—the miniature angels, like innumerable lights jumping forth from a Christmas tree of eternal breadth, created a spectacle of such vastness and expanding grandeur that its entire extent could not be seen; all directions had fairies of different colours. Their presence created labyrinthine colours, as if a painter spattered glowing paint everywhere and every drop of paint came to life and flew about to wonder its existence.

The fairies, pixies, nymphs and other creatures of coloured glowing light, who surely reached infinity or more in their numbers within seconds, whirred and whirled in a frenzy of excitement, and they could not help themselves but to fly to and fro as wildly as they could, bouncing into each other as a twinkling symphony of tinkling and clinking.

Up above, fairies chased fireflies or moths and other insects, others flew after bats or whirred at spiders and their webs, some hopped from leaf to leaf, and a few climbed the grooves or rugged surface of bark, following the natural designs like tiny children wandering through a maze. A cluster of baby fairies flew to a hole in a tree, then an owl popped her head out with a hoot, causing the fairies nearby to flurry off, and a few owlets peeped their heads out the hole, wondering what just happened. Somewhere else, a leaf fell from a twig, landing atop a little pixie sitting on a branch below, which shook herself to get the leaf off, watching it flutter down amidst the tornado of flying lights.

A bat, clinched to the branch of a tree, jumped off and took flight, diving and biting over a pixie, probably mistaking it for a bug. At first, it appeared that the little fairy was swallowed whole, but it suddenly reappeared, seemingly flying out the bat's skull and enlarging within a second. Somewhere else, a little fairy was stuck in a spider web, and as the spider crawled to it to entwine the fairy, the fairy, after a pause, flew through the web and spider as if they did not exist, the spider trying to catch its prey but its limbs moving through it as if the fairy was made of nothing.

The fairies, pixies, nymphs and whatnot were ethereal beings, or perhaps spiritual beings, and could do strange things, such as shrink their size, fly inside living things, and even disappear into walls or trees or rocks at a moment's thought, or at least some could do so. How they did so was a mystery. Perhaps they are extradimensional beings?

Amidst so many fairies and pixies and their unreal performance, one fairy was quite the opposite of the others, this one four-winged and of the larger kind. He did not shine very much, for his aura was pitch-black, and the dim glow scarcely lit anything. The white-winged but black-bodied fairy seemed to be bleeding shadows instead of illuminating! But he was still a fairy nonetheless, flying along, not here to play, but to search.

He spread his wings to fly faster, feeling air flowing beneath his tiny feet as he flew, and seeing many of his kin flying about wildly. Although his aura made him difficult to distinguish, he was a big, strong, but lean fairy, with shadowy black skin, dark purple eyes, and had a purplish tinge to his unkempt black hair, which somewhat jutted over his forehead, eyes, and the sides and back of his hair a little. He wore leafy boots and shorts, the shorts having an extension that went over his left shoulder, with a larger leaf over his left shoulder, and connected to the back of the shorts. On his left hand was a leafy wrapping around the wrist.

"Pardon me! Sorry! Whoops! Didn't see you! Excuse me!" the black fairy spoke as he flew into other fairies or when others flew into him, impact twinkling and tinkling them, his voice sounding like chiming glass speaking.

It was nothing short of impossible for a flying thing to go through the Lost Woods without hitting, or being hit, by another flying thing. With so many dazzling lights, zigzagging and crisscrossing constantly in all directions, anything with sight would be confused instantly.

"Stupid kids." the black fairy muttered to himself, irritated by the constant whirlwind of infinite swirling fairies, but at least they lit the way.

The black fairy flew on and on, in-between trees and branches, through overturned hollowed trees or logs up to the size of houses, and sometimes through arch-like rock formations, perhaps ruins of buildings of a long-lost civilization now overcome by vegetation. The farther he went, the less formations of rock there was.

"Where could she be?" the black fairy asked himself, dodging a carelessly flying fairy, sounding like a bell ringing angrily for a moment.

The intrepid blackness-emanating fairy continued his search all night, but could not find whomever he searched. Instead, he felt himself pummelled by many other tiny bodies in their ecstatic playing, something he figured he would not be escaping any time soon! He decided to ascend, having an idea he figured might work.

He flew up to the canopy, where moonlight shone through an opening betwixt the branches. He flew through the opening, and quickly sat on the crown of a pine tree. He caught his rest, looking into the night sky's full moon. What a magnificent sphere the moon was, like a giant face wanting to be happy for everyone. He often pondered about the stars, what they were, how they got there, what they do, quite a mystery he'd never solve. Gazing upon the stars, the black fairy recalled a moment when he was younger, many years ago or more.

One evening, all those years ago as he remembered it, he sat on a Gossip Stone near the Forest Temple, and just looked up, to wonder. Once he saw the first star appear in the sky, he wanted to fly to it, to touch it. Other fairies told him he'd never reach it and that it was dangerous to try, but he ignored them and flew up anyways, spreading his wings and flying upward as strongly as he could, feeling air flow through his face and feet. He flew higher and higher, until he could fly no more, finding it hard to breathe. Unable to fly any higher, exhausted, wings sprained, and body aching, he lost all remaining strength and stamina, and he fell.

He could not regain his flight, wings too stiff and too painful, and plummeting like a rock, fell into a puddle of mud with an audible splat, causing many fairies to turn and see what just happened. Seeing their friend stuck in mud, wings flicking bits of mud everywhere and body bobbing, the black fairy appeared nothing short of an idiot, and the fairies could not help but giggle at the sight. He sat up, upper wings spreading apart and dripping tiny drops of mud, and he looked around, realizing he made a complete fool of himself.

It wasn't often a fairy in Hyrule got muddy, mud blocking parts of his aura and revealing areas of his tiny body. He noticed a blue fairy fly by, briefly tilting to look at the idiot, but she did not snicker, and instead, flew down to help him out. Just as it seemed the blue fairy would help the black fairy up, she seemed to have second thoughts, probably not wanting to get dirty.

"I can pick myself up by myself thank you very much!" the black fairy stubbornly assured, getting up, but the mud was quite thick, and he lost balance and fell over again, the blue fairy rearing to avoid getting mud on herself.

"Roll over and crawl out." she suggested.

"Shut up Navi, you've never really watched over a kid, what would you know about getting things to work?" he snapped, obviously enraged about the mess he got himself into, especially since he stumbled a second time and fell back in the mud.

"Speaking of watching over children, I am going to see the Great Deku Tree, he has something special for me, but I can't figure out what." she replied optimistically.

"He probably wants you to become a guardian fairy for someone, maybe that boy without a fairy. Go for it, let's see how far you get. You'll probably just leave him after a while, to go back to do your silly quest, whatever it is, I don't even remember what it is and I don't care." the black fairy whined, fumbling a third time.

"Oh Kibou, you need to stop getting yourself into trouble instead of getting yourself angry. Just warp yourself over that puddle of mud, or maybe you have not yet learned to do that." the blue fairy remarked calmly, and then turned and flew away before the black fairy could say anything.

The black fairy, Kibou, huffed and managed to get up by vibrating his wings powerfully, pushing through the soreness and stiffness, hovering while tiny drops of mud flew off his wings, and a few times looking like he would plop back into the mud. He then made his way out of the puddle of mud, moving in such a way that it was something between flying and skipping, which looked pathetic, but at least it worked. He waddled to a dandelion, grabbing its stock and bending it over, trying to clean himself with the wildflower as if it were a giant brush, feeling the yellow petals wiggling and tickling his face while he breathed in its scent of pollen, causing him to sneeze. He let go of the dandelion, flower wobbling briefly, and he rubbed his aura-masked face. He watched the blue fairy fly away; she looked eager.

"She's always wasting her time." Kibou mumbled to himself with a sniffle.

Kibou sighed, thinking about those words from all those years ago. Coming back to reality, he thought about time, and how much of it was wasted, how much it was wasting him. He sighed again, body tilting backwards with an audible high-pitched tremolo whine, and then he hopped off the tree and flew along. Above the canopy of the Lost Woods was quite a sight. He could see several other locations, like the fields of Hyrule that expanded in all directions seemingly endlessly, a ranch in the centre of the fields, the castle town in the horizon to the north with a river going across its front, and beyond the horizon were more mysteries hiding far-off lands and kingdoms. Simple dirt roads led to the four corners of the compass. The solitary fairy flew along, above the partying forest, his only motivation to search and find his dear friend.

Kibou flew around, checking the openings in the canopy, looking down through them in case his dear friend could be seen, but he could not find her. But at least he could get around quicker by flying above the treetops. He could hear wolves howling in the distance, praising the full moon, their deity, or so he thought.

"Howling wolves? Ah, now I will find her, sooner or later." Kibou said optimistically, and he flew faster, chasing the howling.


	3. Chapter 2 - Breathe

**Chapter 2**

 **Breathe**

 _Awake! For morning in the bowl of night has flung the stone that puts the stars to flight_

 _\- extract from The Rubayyat of Omar Khayyam_

A cloudy, pale sunrise came, casting its aura over the mighty forest, and the previous night's spectacles dissipated; there were significantly less fairies now. Small birds, like robins, warblers and nightingales, sung to the cold foggy morning, creating a symphony of avian calls trying to outdo itself. With so many birds, echoes filled the woodland, resonating amidst the trees. Crows, woodpeckers and peafowl also made an appearance. Crows cawed here, woodpeckers pecked there, and peafowls strut about playfully.

One peacock displayed his tail, strutting around proudly, a woodpecker briefly tilting from the side of a tree to take a look. Feet tapping about on the grass, the peacock noticed a peculiar plant, looking like a crown of leaves on the ground. Presuming it was food for some reason, or perhaps curious, the peacock walked to it, bent over, and pecked at it, nibbling at the leaves. Immediately, a wooden creature appeared, popping out of the ground with a squeak, sudden appearance causing the peacock to flinch and hop. The peacock scurried off, flapping its wings while jerking its head forwards and backwards.

The wooden creature was a young Deku Scrub, about two feet tall, having a head shaped like an onion with the stalk pointing upwards, and a little box-like torso. He had stubby legs and arms, huge head and tiny torso covered with green leaves reaching the ground, but the face and limbs did not have any leaves. The middle of the front of the creature's body had a protruding snout or pipe-like appendage or something, having a length and diameter of three inches. Above the snout were glowing blue eyes, irises cracked along the edges.

Well, the blue-eyed wooden creature, upon seeing the peacock plodding away, chased after it, the scrub's little legs hidden within its skirt of foliage only doing so much, and beating against the forest floor with the speed and stamina of a hummingbird's wings. The peacock quickly flew away, easily escaping the scrub vibrating and squealing with pleasure upon its victorious charge.

The scrub, still bouncing about as if bobbing on invisible water, calmed down and stopped making noise. He then retracted his muzzle and reared, intending to spit a nut, but he lost balance and fell backwards. Upon landing with an audible thud, the force caused the scrub to spit the nut perfectly vertically into the air, and he watched stupidly as the launched nut eventually lost inertia and fell back down, bouncing off the scrub's face with a knock.

After a few seconds of bewilderment, only singing birds active, the scrub sat up and shook his head, leafy foliage shaking audibly and ending up covering his face. The scrub tried to move his curtain of leaves out of his eyes but his arms were too short, so he shook his head until he could see again. At that moment, Kibou flew by, happening to fly across the scrub's face, causing him to jump with a wheezing squeak. The scrub vibrated his way back to his hole and jumped in, but made a mistake and fell face-first into the ground instead. He immediately got up and hopped into his burrow, but made another mistake, going in headfirst and getting stuck upside-down, legs flailing wildly. Kibou stopped and turned to look at the upside-down Scrub stuck in the hole.

"Idiot." Kibou remarked, shaking his head, and then flew along as if nothing had happened.

Once Kibou flew off several metres, a squirrel appeared, running in-between Kibou and the scrub, stopping beside the nut the scrub spat. The squirrel looked side to side at the fairy and the scrub repeatedly for a few seconds, and then tried to put the Deku nut in his mouth, but it was too big. The Scrub managed to pick himself up out of the hole, shaking his head briefly and looking around.

The squirrel remained unsuccessful with the nut, and after messing around with the Deku Nut for a few seconds, the nut exploded into a flash of bright light, causing the squirrel and Scrub to jump, and several birds and a few crows flew off in fright. The squirrel ran away and the Deku Scrub fell backwards into his hole headfirst again, this time deep enough for his head to the disappear underground, legs kicking. The Scrub would probably be stuck for a while.

The morning progressed casually in this ancient woodland, and very little really happened. Kibou's search now appeared pointless, as the wolves stopped howling by morning. He soon noticed a few cougar cubs playing beside a creek, and their mother sleeping nearby, enjoying a break from her kids.

Later, Kibou saw an ancient Gossip Stone amidst maple trees, the oval statue almost falling apart, covered with moss and cracks, some cracks blocked with spider webs. The Gossip Stone was a rather small but stout statue, about two feet tall and a foot think, shaped like the top half of an upright chicken's egg. Carved on the front was an outline of a wide eye, a circle as a pupil at the centre, with three hollow triangles above the eye. A carving of smiling lips was below the eye, with a drop below the eye but at the same level as the smile.

The black fairy noticed a strange carving on the side of the statue, a symbol he had never seen before, so he flew to it to investigate. The carving was a crude image of Baphomet, a goat-demon that sat cross-legged, both arms bent at the elbows and pointing up and down, but how it got there was a mystery. Considering the brightness of the carving, it must have been carved recently. The black fairy did not really care, and after a few seconds continued his search.

"Hm, never seen something like that before... must have been carved recently." he mumbled to himself.

The black fairy stumbled upon a group of five Skull Kids, three boys and two girls, playing the song of the Lost Woods with their primitive but pretty woodwind instruments, dancing like gypsies and spinning around casually. An eagle was perched nearby, bending over to look down at the Skull Kids, as if irritated by their noise, walking in a circle for a second.

The Skull Kids wore ragged loose-fitting clothing the colour and appearance of autumn, making them resemble something in-between scarecrows and jesters. Their clothing consisting of a long but short-sleeved shirt, trousers torn towards the bottom, gloves, shoes with upturned toes, and a large wide hat with the brim terminating into many split ends. These kids would probably blend very well amidst piles of dead leaves during fall.

Two boys and a girl wore masks carved from the front half of adult human skulls, lower jaws gone, and the teeth left on. The two other children each wore a beak of a huge bird over the nose and mouth, beaks open. These two also had a few large feathers pierced through the brim of their hats.

Skull Kids seemed to appear as undead, for their skin had the texture of straw or wet crumpled paper, their eyes glowed, and the cartilage of the nose and ears disintegrated long ago, leaving behind slits in the skull, perhaps alluding to their title. Maybe they wanted to hide their undead features?

The girl who wore a beak had long, straight, pale blonde hair passing her shoulders, and that alone made her appear somewhat human at least at a distance. One of the masked boys, a redhead, had a messy, curly ponytail, and the other Skull Kids seemed not to have any visible hair. The Skull Kids looked rather spooky in the fog; all they needed was Halloween!

The black fairy wouldn't bother with these homeless brats, and left them alone. The Skull Kids noticed the fairy. Fairies were a common sight in this forest, but black ones were rare. Once Kibou flew off, the Skull Kids stopped playing, all at the same time, to take a break, watching the black fairy go away.

"You don't see black fairies that often." the Skull Kid girl wearing a skull mask remarked with a yawn, covering her mask's jawless portion.

"Maybe it's an evil fairy." the redhead Skull Kid exclaimed quickly, worried upon that thought, looking down upon himself to make sure he wasn't jinxed.

"What's it going to do? Eat you?" one of the other boys asked.

"Well, I heard that if you touch a fairy, it swirls around you, does magical things, what if a fairy did an evil thing?" the redhead replied worryingly, looking around to make sure no evil fairies were attacking him.

"Pfft, you're afraid of everything. There's nothing to worry about over a freakin' fairy." the previous Skull Kid rebuked. "Say it was a big bear, a killer cougar, or a mad moose, then yeah, you can be worried."

"I wouldn't be afraid of any of those." the redhead assured, crossing his arms and then almost dropping his flute, the other Skull Kids briefly chuckling at that.

"What would you do if a bear attacked you? Hit him with your flute?" the Skull Kid blondie asked, tilting her head acutely to the side while lifting one shoulder for a second, the movement causing her bones to pop. She was trying to hold in her chuckling at the thought of striking a bear with a flute, but it came out anyways, the redhead a little annoyed, fists clenching.

"Yeah, Gödel is gonna hit a bear with his flute." the third Skull Kid boy who wore a beak said as if he believed it, and the redhead said nothing, trying to think of something to say.

"Well, whatever." the redhead Skull Kid, Gödel, remarked with a crooked shrug.

"Well, yeah!" the girl somewhat mockingly exclaimed, then she suddenly gasped. "Hey! Today is my turn where we get to play! Let's go to that old cemetery far to the west. Race ya'll there!" the girl in the skull mask excitedly suggested suddenly, effectively breaking the nagging, turning around and running off. The other Skull Kids ran after her, but Gödel was last to do so, holding his hat down just as a powerful gust formed and nearly blew it off.

The five Skull Kids ran through the wind and swirling fog, bushes and shrubs rustling around them. They held their hats down due to the wind, feeling falling leaves, twigs, floating pollen, and bits of dust blow into their clothes. The blondie's hair opened up, flaring from the wind and blowing freely behind her, but no matter how hard she tried, the other girl was always faster. Although the race was a competitive game for the Skull Kids, for the blondie, it was much more than a competition. She took the races very seriously, and none of them knew how much it meant to her. For her, it was a quest. She ran as hard as she could, but the other girl was still faster.

"Can't catch me!" the other girl teased.

Gödel tripped and fell, dropping his flute, and swallowed by a carpet of ferns waving in the wind; no one seemed to notice, or care. The blondie clutched her flute tightly and bent forward, running as fast as possible through the wind and trees, sometimes hopping over logs, rocks or giant mushrooms, but very soon, the other girl was already several metres ahead, clearly the faster runner.

The girl leading the race hopped over a Deku Baba, awakening it. A Deku Baba resembled a Venus flytrap, but with the flower being huge and spherical, looking like a giant blue bud, the head at the end of a flexible green stalk that could protract from a crown of shrubbery on the ground, the stalk having some leaves sticking out here and there.

The head opened horizontally, revealing a jagged mouth opening and closing repeatedly, both halves clicking together furiously as saliva foamed. The Deku Baba outstretched itself from the ground and whipped at the Skull Kid as she ran off, trying to bite her. Instead, it felt whiplash once its stalk extended fully, and the head fell to the ground pathetically, racketing mouth soon stopping and closing.

Closing in from behind, the blondie noticed the Deku Baba, stalk curving upwards like the back of a cat, dragging the heavy head backwards. Just as the Deku Baba lifted its head, the blondie skipped onto it, landing on its head and her weight bringing it down a few inches, and she jumped off it, continuing the race. A few seconds later, the two Skull Kid boys jumped onto and then off the Deku Baba's head, one after the other, their weight bringing the Deku Baba's head down to the ground.

Gödel appeared a few seconds later, having obviously found his flute sometime ago, and eager to finish the race in the same fashion as the others, ran towards the Deku Baba. It twisted around and watched him (even though these aggressive plants didn't have eyes) approach.

Once close enough, the Deku Baba whipped itself at Gödel, who at the same time leapt, legs bicycling in the air as if he ran up a staircase, one foot going inside the plant's mouth and the other stepping atop its head. Irritated by having heavy things on its head, the Deku Baba reared powerfully, hurling Gödel through the air over itself.

Gödel at first didn't know what was going on, dropping his flute midair, but he landed on his hands and feet like a cat, bones popping. He quickly got up and turned around to look back at the perplexed Deku Baba, which was wondering what it had done wrong. He quickly grabbed his flute and ran after his friends, and soon they all disappeared into the morning's mist.


	4. Chapter 3 - A Shepherd of Wolves

**Chapter 3**

 **A Shepherd of Wolves**

 _What fellowship hath the wolf with the lamb?_

 _\- Apocrypha, Sirach 13:17_

Kibou flew and flew, all day, but nothing significant happened. Bees and butterflies performed their work here and there, birds chirped and flew about, and there were fewer wandering fairies and spirits by this time.

By sunset, Kibou reached the outskirts of the Lost Woods, and who knows where these outskirts led too? Crows cawed, owls hooted, and woodpeckers squawked amidst the canopy beneath the setting sun. This peculiar mix of birdsong during twilight produced a rather lonely, solemn, relaxing, sleepy, surreal, sensation. Some believed that twilight was the time the realm of the dead and the living can communicate, perhaps they are right?

The black fairy sat on a big sunflower, that grew in a spotlight of sunlight shining through an opening in the canopy. He felt much better where he sat. The setting sun meant that the inside of the Lost Woods would become both cold and dark, but fairies did not seem to be bothered by extreme temperatures, maybe their auras gave them warmth and protection?

"Oohhh! That girl... she is such a problem, I actually forgot how far away this was..." Kibou complained to himself, body shaking and voice trailing off into illegible grumbling, his inner being making a high-pitched whine as he bent backwards, upper wings lowering and lower wings rising.

Mosquitoes began appearing, buzzing near him. Mosquitoes are quite a nuisance for a human, but for a fairy, they were dangerous.

"Argh! Got you!" Kibou shouted, grabbing a mosquito and ripping it asunder with his teeny-tiny hands, and all of a sudden, a splat of blood covered his entire front, covering the aura and revealing his little frame.

Pausing for a second, blood dripping down his front, he shook himself like the tiniest cat, bits of blood spattering off his body and wings in all directions, speckling the sunflower. He wiped himself with the petals of the sunflower, grabbing them and using them as towels, but he just ended up covering himself with pollen. Now, he resembled a fairy covered with yellow powder and smeared blood of some animal. The pollen caused him to sneeze, the puff of golden dust striking a mosquito and causing it to fly away.

The black fairy huffed and fell off the sunflower, bits of his aura flaking off and falling down with insignificant plumes of pollen, disappearing into the ground, and he flew on with the cacophony overhead. He vibrated in the air to shake the blood and pollen off himself, which somewhat worked, but he had to exert himself furiously, ringing like a small bell, for fairies of Hyrule made the sound of a bell once in a while, for whatever reason, however that worked. Perhaps it was another form of their vocalization?

The sun set. As dusk came, Kibou heard wolves howling in the distance, and bobbed in the air excitedly.

"I'll find her very soon now!" he stated happily, flying after the echoes of howling.

It was a rather eerie thing to listen to, hearing the howls flowing like wind through the mighty intertwining trees. The canopy seemed to be making faces, almost as if the trees were not happy to see Kibou flying around and wanted to scare him away. He felt them towering over his little body, and whenever he looked up at those gigantic trees reaching for the heavens, he wondered if they would suddenly fall on him, for whatever reason. He had a fear of large things falling on him, but his quest to find his friend always surpassed that unrealistic anxiety. Duty and diligence conquer fear, but Kibou did notice himself wobbling amidst flight. He had to snap out of such silly paranoia, which he did.

Other smaller, lesser fairies still floated around joyfully, these tiny wild nymphs didn't seem to ever do anything besides flying around aimlessly and dance in the air. Kibou wondered how they could always do that. He'd get bored of that kind of lifestyle quickly, there was no purpose. But, at least wild fairies were free and happy, two traits Kibou did not have. He was trapped to look after a stubborn brat for eternity.

The black fairy arched over leaning oaks, and then flew through a hollow log larger than a house stuck in a rocky formation. After, he hovered his way around an ancient willow tree with branches touching the ground. Suddenly, he heard growling, causing him to hover on the spot with an audible inhale, wings outstretched for a moment. After the hesitation, he quickly flew through the flexible branches of the willow, squeezing and writhing his way through them, pulling and pushing the leaves with his insignificant hands, wings vibrating and tapping against the vine-like branches.

Once inside the waterfall of weeping branches, he frantically looked around, and saw several wolves biting and pawing a girl's body, eating her alive. The sight shook Kibou so much that even his aura stopped expanding and contracting. After a second, he realized that the wolves were just playing with the girl, biting and pawing, but only gently, for these were young wolves. Kibou sighed with relief, wondering if his heart would shatter his rib cage yet.

The black fairy descended, noticing that the wolves were actually Wolfos pups, no larger than a human child was. An adult Wolfos sat like a guard dog nearby, the mother, watching her playful pups having a good time.

The Wolfos species resembled wolves, unsurprisingly, but also had semi-humanoid characteristics, making them something between wolves and werewolves. These beasts had an uncanny appearance to their eyes, which possessed a pure white iris and pupil, the colouring only visible and becoming stronger further away from the centre of the eye, which gave them a rather spooky gaze. The Wolfoses moved around on all fours like any canine, but they could also stand like an ape.

The offspring took turns running around and pouncing playfully, tails wagging, wrestling and rolling about with their little friend. She rolled along the ground with the Wolfos pups, which resembled cute fuzzy balls with limbs and a canine's face, her face beaming, feeling them gently biting her limbs, licking her face, feeling their fur rub against her clothes and face, their claws prodding her body, and hearing them panting and huffing with excitement.

As for the girl, unlike most people, she naturally had white hair, long, thick and wavy, her eyebrows and eyelashes dense and white. She had very pale skin and pink eyes, the characteristics of albinism. As an albino, her sleep deprivation really showed, her eye bags and dark circles pronounced. She looked tired, messy and dirty, hair sticking to her face due to the canines' slob. But she was happy. Like other Kokiri, who were the ageless child inhabitants of these forests, she had a broad, tall forehead, large eyes, elongated pointy ears, and small nose and mouth. Every Kokiri had his or her own guardian fairy, a close companion to provide assistance and learning.

She wore a loose-fitting dark green, long-sleeved turtleneck shirt, sleeves passing her hands, and dark green trousers a bit too large for her, the leg sleeves worn over her leather boots. She also wore a thick belt. She did not wear anything in her hair, keeping it loose and free, exactly as she liked it.

The girl did not notice the black fairy, too immersed in the Wolfos pups. Kibou shook himself up and down, ringing like a bell, to get everything's attention. The Wolfos mother looked at him, wondering where the sound came from. The Wolfos pups did not seem to care, two briefly skipping back with a bark and then jumping back into the frantic dancing, but the girl clearly noticed. She sat up, feeling an excited gray pup give her a hug and lick her face, rubbing his wet leathery nose into her, and making a strong exhale through his nose, air moving the girl's hair in front of her forehead for a moment. She smiled and stroked the pup's scruff. The girl stared back at the black fairy, eyes partly closed, blushing.

"Well now, where have you been?" the black fairy asked, a little irritated. The girl replied by hugging the gray Wolfos pup back and falling to the side, pressing her face into his hide and breathing in his scent, holding him as if he were a living teddy bear, bending her knees together, and feeling his hind legs bicycling into her with excitement.

"How did you find me?" the girl asked as the Wolfos pup's padded feet thudded gently against her body.

"You've been running away from me for how long now? Quite a few years so far. Chances are I'm gonna understand your pattern sooner or later. You can't hide from me forever, no matter how hard you try." Kibou replied, crossing his arms.

"Well, whatever... we'll see about that!" she chuckled.

Kibou shook his head. The other Wolfos younglings danced about, prodding the girl with their noses, trying to get her attention. They soon instinctively felt she was a bit busy with something else, so they stopped, but they soon started playing with each other.

"What happened to you?" the girl asked, noticing Kibou's unintentional makeup, and chuckled.

"Uh, bloody pollen." Kibou replied, unsure of what to say. The girl gently pushed aside the gray Wolfos, who looked disappointed, sitting on the ground and looking like a whipped puppy, so she stroked his head and he became happy again, rolling his shoulders.

A Wolfos somewhere deep in the forest howled. The Wolfos here pricked their ears and the mother howled back while standing up. Consecutive howls, as ghostly as they were beautiful, echoed through the forest, shutting up the crows.

"The children of the night, what music they make." the girl remarked, closing her eyes and inhaling slowly, placing her palms on the ground, and just enjoying the sounds.

"You really like Wolfoses, don't you?" Kibou asked, a question with an obvious answer, so the girl did not reply. She watched the pups as they started to howl themselves. The howling nearby and beyond continued for several seconds. Kibou heard and saw an owl fly by, watching it go.

"Sounds like a hunt." the girl stated excitedly, tilting her head and clasping her hands, eyes wide, knees and shoulders lifting, unable to hide her childish emotions.

"So that's a good reason we should get going home! Let's go." Kibou said, flying off a short distance, and then noticing that the girl didn't even budge. She watched the pups howl eagerly into the canopy. "Well?"

The girl looked back at Kibou, obviously not wanting to go anywhere, he grunted. He then whizzed at the girl, nearly flying into her face, but she did not flinch or even blink, and watched him hover before her.

"Luna! You can't just sit here all night playing with dogs. Look at yourself! You're dirty, you're tired, you're sick, and you need a bath! You smell bad!" Kibou whined, which did get the girl's attention.

"It's just because I'm really bright, so it shows more." Luna, the girl, somewhat defended.

"Well, you can't get any brighter than a white albino..." Kibou remarked, "And that's why we need to get you home, you really need to wash off all that slime and dirt, you stink like an old dog about to die of old age." he continued, resorting to petty insults to encourage Luna to consider coming home.

"I can just find a pond or a stream, I don't mind cold water." Luna said.

"Then you'll get a flu!" Kibou cried.

"It's summertime. This forest is full of berry bushes, fruit trees, herbs and springs, nature's bounty cures any illness."

"You look like you're going to drop dead, you need rest, and the best sleep is in a bed."

"Ferns are good enough."

"With bugs and mosquitoes everywhere?"

"I sleep in the treetops, too, mosquitoes and bugs can't fly that high. The branches are so thick they make a roof anyways, and keep me safe from weather."

Kibou ran out of things to say, but then remembered about the Skull Kids he saw earlier.

"If you go beyond the safety of Kokiri Forest, you will get lost, and become a Skull Kid. I don't want to see you turn undead." Kibou warned.

"Really, Kibou? That's the best fairy-tale you can think of? I will never become a Skull Kid! Never! Remember the stories from long ago, when the entire Kokiri community actually went out to celebrate the victory of the Hero of Time? Besides, I've never been lost. I am not lost. Those who get lost become undead, but I am not lost." Luna said. Kibou struggled on what to say for a second.

"And I'm sure that's exactly what they said before they became soulless skeletons! Please, Luna, I am your guardian fairy. I've been around longer than you have, I think I know the dangers of your actions. It breaks my heart thinking that one day you'll become undead. I don't want to see that." Kibou said, now resorting to softening up Luna.

"Some guardian fairy you are, you can't even look after your kid!" Luna teased, Kibou wanting to say something, but unable to figure out what for a few seconds.

"I just don't want you lost."

"Maybe I want to get lost? That way, I won't have to deal with this irritating pixie." Luna rebuked with some heat, which hurt Kibou, so much so, that his wings titled down, and his aura made a short wheezing cry.

"Long ago, I remember overhearing something very special, and I have never shared this with anyone." Kibou said, getting Luna's attention, but pausing.

"Well, what?" Luna asked.

"I'll only tell you when we get home. Now, get up, quit sitting there. The sooner we get home, the sooner I can tell you my secret." Kibou stated. Luna shrugged.

The two stared at each other, neither moving very much. The Wolfoses beyond howled in the distance, and then Kibou noticed that several adults already appeared, walking around, sniffing. The adult Wolfos were quite big. The first remarkable Wolfos he saw was a tall silver one with red eyes, who looked confident and serious, but let her tongue hanging out playfully. The next was black and cream, with yellow eyes, a rather fierce yet calculating male. Nearby them were a black and baize Wolfos, both with yellow eyes, and a white one with red eyes. The black one kept his tongue hanging out and looked a bit awkward and peachy, but was still a Wolfos.

"Luna, we have to go! This is getting dangerous!" Kibou cried.

"I think you're outnumbered, Kibou." Luna teased.

"Why are you so stubborn?" Kibou whined, turning around angrily.

"Why are you so stubborn?" Luna repeated.

"Because I know what's good for you!" the black fairy shouted, facing Luna.

"No, you don't." Luna corrected, looking at the pups running around with the adults. "I want to be free. I am happy out here, living with the Kokiri is like a prison for me." she continued softly, and Kibou also looked at the Wolfos pups for a while.

"I know you just want to be happy. I don't have a problem with you coming out here, but I hate it when you just leave without saying anything. How do you even manage to sneak out so easily?"

"I am patient, you're impatient, that's when I walk away." Luna admitted.

"I am much more patient than you think. I spent, oh what, two weeks at least? Two weeks looking for you, Luna, two weeks. I don't want all that time to be wasted. You know how much stress you give me? Every time you run away, you risk your life and my own. Please think about me, what if something happened to me?" Kibou asked, but Luna did not seem to care.

"Then stop looking out for me. I'm not asking you for anything, I want you to be safe, too." Luna said, but the black fairy would not give up.

"Is there anything I can do for you to come home?" Kibou asked, and Luna thought for a moment.

"Yeah, there is." she replied.

"What?"

"Tell me this secret."

"Only when we go home."

"Tell me now and I will."

"I'll tell you when we get home, I promise."

"Tell me now or I won't go anywhere."

"If I tell you now, do you promise to come?" Kibou asked, floating a little closer to Luna.

"Promise." Luna assured with a nod, her curiosity growing.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Kibou hesitated, looking off to the side, and then staring at Luna's big, pink, curious eyes.

"OK, I will tell you. Long ago, many years ago, I overheard one of the girls speak to a young man sometime after the evils left the forest. Back then, I didn't know who he was, but I later found out he was the Hero of Time. He spoke to a girl—I don't remember her name, but she loved standing on those pillars to have a better view of the forest—and the last thing she said to him, was a question. She asked him a simple question. She indirectly asked him if he would become a Stalfos. I know what she meant by that question. She wasn't trying to find an answer, she wasn't really asking a question. He left, he wanted to find a beloved friend, and he never returned. She knew he would become undead. This is why I am so eager to stay with you." Kibou explained.

"Well, don't forget, that the hero was never implied to have become undead, either." Luna butted in, "As for me, I will never become lost, I promise." Luna said, smiling.

"Well, what if you do become lost?" Kibou asked nervously, expecting to touch Luna and leave her speechless.

"Even if that happens, we will be friends forever, right?" Luna asked, surprising Kibou.

"Yes, we will be friends forever." Kibou replied.

"Promise?" Luna asked.

"Promise."

"We will be friends forever, won't we? OK, let's go home." Luna said, and she got up, brushing herself off, and walked.

"What? You're really going home?" Kibou asked, amazed.

"Promise." Luna replied with a smile, and Kibou flew to her, hovering near her head.

Kibou then realized that at least two dozen more adult Wolfoses appeared, as if assembling for a gathering, the pups wagging their tails as Luna passed them. She stroked them as she took her leave, the pups watching her go sadly. Luna looked so tiny compared to the adult Wolfoses, and Kibou felt afraid. He almost expected them to kill her, but she walked through the crowd of Wolfoses without fear and without hesitation. Kibou nervously followed her, and finally, to his relief, they walked through the hanging branches of the willow. Guided and cloaked by darkness, Luna and Kibou soon disappeared into the shadows beneath the canopy.


	5. Chapter 4 - Not Lost in the Lost Woods

**Chapter 4**

 **Not Lost in the Lost Woods**

 _For universally, be not deceived, every animal is attached to nothing so much as to its own interest._

 _\- Epictetus, extract from The Discourses_

Luna and Kibou journeyed homeward, moving all night. The vast darkness beneath the canopy of night sheltered them from any eye. Luna seemed to be able to walk through the blackness without any problem. Unsurprisingly, as always, she could see other fairies and pixies flowing amidst the shrubs, twigs, leaves and vegetation of this wild world of never-ending woodland.

They moved under mighty branches and tilted trees, alongside creeks and fallen trees, through hollowed logs and pierced rock formations, over boulders and shrubbery, passed ponds and cliffs, and travelled amongst many plants and closed flowers. If there was anything thoroughly unusual or significantly important, neither Kibou nor Luna noticed.

Kibou, who was quite exhausted for he had already spent two weeks searching non-stop out here in the wilderness, noticed the approaching dawn, and felt happy to see it. Luna, despite her sleepy eyes, was upbeat and energetic, walking eagerly. She walked over a flexible shrub, and once passed it, the thing whipped backwards and nailed Kibou in the face, causing him to bounce back a few inches, shaking, wondering what just happened. Luna did not seem to notice.

"Ouch, that's going to leave a mark for a while..." Kibou remarked to himself.

"Hunh?" Luna exclaimed, not even turning her head, walking on as if nothing happened.

"Nothing." Kibou replied, catching up to Luna, now floating along behind her head, and he didn't have a problem with whiplashing plants anymore.

The morning star began to rise, and birdsong gradually sounded and grew with the passing hours, starting with robins and other little birds. Kibou could see the cloudy orange sky in the openings of the canopy, and felt a boost of relief and eagerness upon the thought of Kokiri Forest. He overheard Luna whistling to the birds, and some birds replied to her pattern, flying about from branch to branch as if following her. She must have had a natural affinity to animals. Kibou recalled that when he was young, he used to try to mimic the sound of whistling birds, but never could.

Several hours passed, and noon's arrival evoked lively nature, with many kinds of birds and insects actively singing and flying. Luna and Kibou saw squirrels, wildcats, raccoons, woodpeckers and insects climbing the bark of trees. They also occasionally noticed rabbits, lizards, beetles, snakes and hedgehogs rummaging in the grass. Once in a while, they could see frogs, turtles, dragonflies and bugs at the ponds. Bees, hummingbirds and butterflies hovered near flowers of every shape and colour from ground to treetop. Simply put, indeed, very many things could be encountered while walking through a forest!

The black fairy then had a bad feeling, a sudden rush of nervousness, so he looked around, trying to figure out what was wrong. But he could not see anything, so he flew around Luna's head to be in front of her. He stopped and hovered, but Luna continued walking, her movement causing her head to move into Kibou and brushing him aside.

"Watch out!" Kibou cried, for Luna was lost in her whistling and did not notice a Deku Baba before her feet!

The blue-headed carnivorous plant erupted from the ground, mouth opening and closing rapidly, clicking audibly, and it lunged at Luna, attempting to bite her sideways around the waist. Luna, still appearing oblivious, stopped whistling and then casually positioned her arms in front of herself, sleeves covering her hands, and she rammed her hands above the Deku Baba's head, one over the other, and fell forward, effectively pushing the Deku Baba's head into the ground and holding it down with her body pressing atop her hands. The carnivorous plant's stalk writhed on the spot, unable to free itself. Luna felt its head tilting side to side under her torso. This was a rather small Deku Baba, an ordinary one, and so did not have the strength to whip the child off itself.

Luna quickly grabbed the stalk and pulled herself over the Deku Baba, wrapping her legs around the stalk just under the head, so that it could not bend itself and bite her. She then made space between her hands and chewed on the stalk, and after a few seconds, gnawed through the stalk. She outstretched herself, legs pushing the upper half of the Deku Baba away from herself, fibrous strands stretching and ripping apart.

Ripped in half, the Deku Baba continued snapping its jaws repeatedly, twisting on the ground like a dying snake, but the mouth gradually stopped clapping. The bottom half of the stalk twitched but became limp and lay across the grass. Luna stood up, watching the Deku Baba's mouth open and a nut rolling out from within, for these plants often release a seed upon a premature death. Perhaps they kept their seeds inside their heads so that, after they naturally die, their head can decompose and nourish the seedling? Though, this did not explain why they actually released a nut. Maybe they released the nut so that it has a chance to disappear from the fight, and so have a greater chance to grow without being taken.

"Oh my, well done!" Kibou congratulated, Luna smirked.

"When you cried out for me to watch out, I thought you were complaining that I walked into you." Luna remarked, then chuckled.

"Oh? Well, good thing I did fly in front of you, you might have stepped on that Deku Baba or something." Kibou said.

"I've been exploring the Lost Woods for a long time, chances are I know what I'm doing." Luna remarked with a little shrug, looking up at Kibou with her big pink eyes, but he felt sadness to see the pronounced darkness of her eyelids.

"And when we get to home sweet home, you'll be able to have some nice shuteye." Kibou remarked softly, tilting towards her.

"Don't treat me like a baby." Luna somewhat scoffed, and walked on before Kibou could say anything, and he said nothing, not wanting to risk putting Luna in a bad mood now that they were so close to home.

Kibou followed Luna silently, hoping she wouldn't have any second thoughts. They walked along a very tiny stream, quickly running through the forest. The water looked crisp and clean. Sometime later, Luna stopped at a peach tree surrounded by tulips and blossoms of wild raspberry flowers.

"We're almost home, but let's have a break here." Luna said, picking up a ripe reddish peach from the ground, caressing it with both hands, feeling the fuzz tickling her palms.

"Yes, good idea! I really need a break, my body feels so sore, and my wings are so stiff." Kibou exclaimed, floating to a tulip and setting himself in it, relaxing, petals slightly expanding, and his weight causing the flower to sway slightly.

Luna rolled her sleeves up and rinsed her peach in the running water. She sat cross-legged beside the stream, moved her hair out of the way, and then ate her peach, teeth breaking its skin and sinking into the flesh, juice flushing and tingling her taste buds.

"Get out of here!" Kibou squeaked, kicking a butterfly in the face before it could land on the flower, watching it flapping away.

Luna smiled, holding in her chuckle. Kibou was such a fun, funny fairy, especially when angry. She turned her torso to look at him.

"Want some?" She asked, showing Kibou her half-eaten peach, seed exposed.

"I can't really eat something bigger than myself."

"Here, catch." Luna said, breaking off a little piece of peach and tossing it at Kibou. The small chunk of fruit arched into Kibou perfectly, and he caught it, force causing his tulip to tilt back and wobble a bit, his wings flapping about to regain balance.

"Thanks for the heads-up." Kibou remarked sarcastically.

"You're welcome." Luna replied, looking at Kibou for a few seconds, and then she positioned herself forwards to look at the creek.

Once Kibou felt assured Luna would not stare at him, he ate the piece of peach. It was much better than he expected, but when he caught it, his arms and front got juice on them. By this time, much of the blood and pollen came off, but a little was still on, and now he felt all sticky from the peach juice. At least the peach was really good.

Luna finished her peach and tossed the seed away somewhere. She made a cup with both hands, put them into the stream to fill them, and then lifted her cupped hands up to drink, hanging hair flanking her forearms. She noticed a newt swim across the stream and then crawl away into the grass on the other side. Luna then rinsed her hands and mouth, unrolling her sleeves and using them as towels.

Luna stood up and looked at Kibou, who lounged in the tulip, all wings spread apart, just lying there silently and motionlessly. She carefully and quietly approached Kibou, who did not budge. She leaned over to look at the black fairy, and she heard him make high-pitched snoring, he had fallen asleep. She made a small smile and left him alone. With nothing to do, she helped herself to a few more peaches over the course of an hour, and then wandered off to find something to do.


	6. Chapter 5 - Home

**Chapter 5**

 **Home**

 _You shall go to your true home with honour._

 _\- extract from Guru Granth Sahib, Raag Malaar_

Kibou eventually woke up when a bee buzzed passed him, causing Kibou to writhe on the spot for a second wondering what was going on. He snorted and stood up, looking around; Luna was nowhere in sight.

"Luna?" Kibou called, but there was no answer.

Afraid, Kibou jumped up and hovered, looking side to side, rubbing his eyes and face to wake up faster, but he could not see Luna anywhere. He didn't know what to do now.

"Wooah!" Luna exclaimed sharply at the same time she tapped Kibou's back with her fingernails, causing him to flinch; she had knelt behind the fairy to scare him when he awoke.

"That's not funny." Kibou stated turning around, watching Luna stand up with a grin.

"At least you're wide awake! But we should get going soon." Luna said quickly, and she walked on, not giving Kibou a chance to complain.

Luna walked along the creek, following it, and Kibou flew close by; evening eventually came. Kibou felt like he flew for hours and hours on end, but then, in a mere twinkling, Luna spread apart some deciduous branches, and lo and behold, revealed a view of Kokiri Forest from atop a cliff; Kibou jingled with surprise. Either he forgot how far away he went, or Luna memorized the forests so well she knew where to find shortcuts leading home.

The village titled Kokiri Forest had more fairies visibly flying around aimlessly than the Lost Woods, of many shapes and sizes, like winged and breathing snowflakes of many colours. From the location he was at, Kibou could hear the little waterfall flowing into the pond, and stream running through the Kokiri village off to the left. Down below was the second level of the cliff, the drop-off fenced-off with a giant hollowed-out log leading to the Lost Woods, a Gossip Stone nearby it, and below the cliffs, the ground level and the rest of the village. The pond was slightly to the left of the drop-off.

In the pond, were three cubical objects made of stone, tall enough to stand a bit above the water level, the middle one the largest, these stone blocks perhaps remains of ruins from long ago? At the other side of the pond were two pillars, a large one to the right with a simple bridge leading to a smaller pillar to its left; perhaps the pillars were also ruins from the long-forgotten past. The smaller pillar had another bridge leading to a gigantic tree stump remade into a house, for the inhabitants made their homes by hollowing-out astonishingly huge tree stumps up to dozens of feet wide and tall.

The tops of the stumps were chopped away long ago by means unknown, leaving behind a jagged pyramidal tip, but now regrown with bark. The tips of the tree stump homes had a crown of branches growing in all around, the branches on the sides hanging down to the ground, forming curtains of leafy limbs.

Kibou saw three such tree stump dwellings; perhaps they used to be Great Deku Trees? To the left beyond the pond, one stump terminating into two trunks, the one on the left a bit taller but narrower than the one to the right. Directly to the front, beyond the pond and pillars, was a stout stump, with a spiralled carved-in section to allow one to ascend around the stump, reaching the bridges of the pillars. To the right, a very tall stump, in a depression of the ground and flanked by two elevated sections, with a ladder and balcony. A dirt road led to all the tree stump dwellings, as there were a few more than the three already described.

Behind the tree stump dwellings was a short cliff side, and atop the cliff, many more trees, some up to a hundred feet tall or more, tops stretching towards the clouds. Amidst the lower to middle branches, humble dwellings were made of woven branches, straw, wicker, reeds, and thatch, resembling bird nests with conical roofs. Not necessarily large, the dwellings could still fit several children, essentially sleeping quarters and not much else. Almost three hundred of such dwellings adorned the trees, mostly from the lower to middle branches as mentioned a while ago. Each tree had up to a dozen homes, spaced apart from varying heights and distances. Sometimes, small birds made their nests on these dwellings.

Ladders, flooring, ropes, bridges and swings decorated the trees, allowing access to the dwellings, a few children in green clothes swinging from tree to tree. It looked quite intimidating to live in the trees, especially considering the homes in the treetops. Some dwellings had hanging gardens near the entrance, beautifying the homes.

Such dwellings made in the trees were only present for the other side of the village. The side with Kibou and Luna was left uninhabited, as that was the side leading to the Lost Woods, a feared and forbidden area, so most preferred to live away from that side. The forest floor near the trees with dwellings had immense fields of wheat, barley and other grains. Vast orchards of fruit trees and nut trees dotted the cultivated land amidst berry bushes and root vegetables, and grapevines twisted around the trunks and branches of trees as well.

The sun setting to the west, to the right, provided a welcoming, beautiful sensation for Luna and her guardian fairy, casting a pretty, cloudy, reddened sky above the treetops of the Kokiri Forest. The inhabitants of Kokiri Forest were known as Kokiri, consisting only of immortal children each having a guardian fairy to watch over them; their origin is unknown. Their guardian was the Great Deku Tree, a sentient tree, who could sense disturbances in this realm.

The villagers were fairly busy, either working away at their crops or picking edibles from trees and plants, finishing the day's work before sunset. The Kokiri numbered about three hundred individuals, half boys, half girls. The Kokiri often had bright hair and green or blue eyes; dark hair was quite rare amongst them. They often wore green loose-fitting clothing, pointy green hats, and brown boots. Headbands, wide-brimmed hats, ponytails, pigtails, sheathed short double-edged swords, and tiny heater shields slung at the belt also made an appearance.

"Home sweet home." Luna remarked, looking at Kibou.


	7. Chapter 6 - Fairyfolk

**Chapter 6**

 **Fairy Folk**

 _You need nothing else but to maintain a pure mind and stay vigilant as you execute your duties. Just live for each moment with single-minded purpose._

 _\- Yamamoto Tsunetomo, extract from Hagakure_

"Alright, let's go." Luna said, about to step forth through the branches.

"I'll just rinse myself off first, I don't want the other fairies to see me so messy." Kibou commented quickly, gently descending into the stream's surface, floating in it while swaying his wings and twirling, and he washed the pollen, blood, and peach juice off himself.

Luna, hands still holding the branches aside, watched Kibou float downstream, resembling a glowing butterfly. Once he went over the little waterfall, he regained flight as he fell and reappeared, turning to face Luna, vibrating his wings and shaking himself, sending droplets of water everywhere.

"Well?" Kibou asked, Luna nodded and stepped forth through the branches.

Luna walked down the cliff until above the lower level, and hopped down, both knees bending upon landing, the vegetation somewhat breaking her fall. She then walked alongside the cliff, as the right side led down to the ground below. Up ahead, she saw a giant hollow log piercing the wall of a little mountain, which led to a bridge that led to the fields of Hyrule.

Several Kokiri boys and girls guarded the entrance, all equipped with arms and armour, chatting away about this and that. A guard boy with dark brown hair and green was talking to a guard girl with blonde hair and brown eyes, briefly discussing why the term arms referred to weapons, and the girl mentioning how it'd be like if they held actual arms as weapons, and the two got a chuckle out of that.

The Kokiri guards, who were also hunters, wore one-half of a giant Deku nutshell as a helmet, with leather chinstraps, and cloth lining the inside, riveted into the underside of the helmet. Each guard wore an aketon reinforced with small overlapping lengths of wood or shells of Deku Seeds sewn onto the torso of the garment. The guards wore the halves of large Deku Nutshells over the shoulders, elbows and knees, too. The pants had shin guards made from overlapping wooden splints or scales in a similar fashion as the aketon. As such, the guards wore a kind of armour soft on the inside to absorb blows and blunt force trauma, whereas the reinforcement of overlapping hardwood or nutshells was both light and hard, and the natural smoothness and roundness of the Deku Nutshells provided a glancing surface perfect for deflection.

The guards each had a little sword sheathed at the side. Most swords had a straight or leaf-shaped blade, but some had a blade curving forwards and sharpened on the inner edge, resembling a kukri. The swords had hilts made of wood, bone, horn, or antler. On the other side of the waist, they wore a pouch with a small bow, quiver under the pouch.

The guards' shields were essentially a chunk of bark or wood, crudely carved into the shape of a short kite, but some wooden shields were round or oblong. Half the guards had shields consisting of one-half a giant Deku Nutshell. The shields often had a wooden handle riveted into its backside, but sometimes one or two leather or cloth straps were riveted instead.

Most of the Kokiri guards held a spear and shield, but some instead preferred a two-handed axe. Other weapons included slingshots or slings at their belts, with pouches filled with small stones or Deku Seeds hanging from the belt. Each guard also had a francisca with its helve dropped through a loop of leather at their belt and left to hang like that.

Overall, the guards were both well-equipped and versatile, and their hunting gave them fortitude for violence. Stealth, stamina, tracking, cunning, and the willingness to take a life, can all be experienced during a hunt, and the could use these skills against men. Of course, their weaponry was rather miniature, so that the weapons could be wielded by kiddos, surely hardly a threat for anything larger than themselves.

Metal seemed limited in use, reserved for weapons and tools, presumably because the Kokiri didn't know much about blacksmithing or mining, probably only using ores they found in veins on the surface.

Well, Luna did not really care about the guards, as she never left the forests through the main entrance, instead preferring to roam the Lost Woods whenever she wanted especially when she managed to sneak away from her guardian fairy. All the guards noticed Luna, briefly looking at her few by few, but not really caring.

Luna walked down the sloped section of the cliff, passing the entrance to the Lost Woods (which was the giant hollowed log piercing the cliff side) and then walked across the road to a rising section of the ground, passing a large tree trunk home. She walked up the slope in front of her, passing another one of those giant tree trunk houses. Ahead was a bridge, which had been constructed some years ago, leading up to the cliff, for up there was the mass forest with the bird nest-like dwellings adorning the branches.

Luna walked on the bridge, and looking to the right, could see a section of the rocky formation that had a maze-like path inside, seeing the openings above the top of the rocky formation. This place was called the Hole of Z. Kokiri could go there by crawling through a tiny tunnel down below passed a few fences, leading to the Hole of Z even though it was not actually a hole. Perhaps it, too, was also the remains of ruins from long ago?

The albino Kokiri walked through the fields of grain, heading home. The Kokiri working did not say anything to Luna, minding their own business and tending to their duties, scything, tilling, threshing, foraging, gathering, weeding, whatever it was. Other activities included basketwork, fletching, knitting, carpentry, shoemaking, tailoring, pottery, and so on. The Kokiri were industrious little creatures, as busy and energetic as ants.

Dozens of Kokiri, boys and girls, instead of harvesting or utilizing a trade or art, practised shooting bows, slings, or slingshots, into hay bale targets shaped like scarecrows. Some also practised the art of using the javelin, boomerang, throwing stick, dart, or francisca, and even throwing rocks, Deku seeds, and sharpened wooden discs with their hands. Those throwing javelins or spears used an atlatl or a spear-thrower to aid them. A few practised with blowguns. Many projectiles had tips of stone, flint, or a sharpened piece of a broken Deku nutshell or seed, but the francisca always had a metal head.

Various huts dotted the area here and there, consisting of simple granaries, workshops, bakeries, kitchens, and such places for making food or goods. The mills did not have sails, as the mighty trees blocked out much of the wind anyways, so instead, the millstones had a hole on the side, so that a pole could be inserted and then pushed, spinning the millstone with which to grind grains. A few Kokiri kids were doing just that, the flour then taken by others to be stored in granaries. The granaries were built above large stones carved into the shape of a toadstool, such stones placed at each corner, shaped as such so that mice and other critters could not climb into the storage.

As the sun set, many Kokiri gradually finished their activities, storing the last heaps of grains and produce in the granaries, putting away their tools in the workshops, and tidying up around themselves, relaxing and chatting about the day, their work, the weather, what they were going to do tomorrow, games, or whatever, and their fairies sometimes involved in the talking.

Luna walked passed a well, a very, very fat boy with dark hair and blue eyes drawing water from it, and she waltzed to a granary and looked around. She saw heaps of wheat and barley, stacks of baked goods, piles of vegetables, baskets upon baskets of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, gooseberries, grapes, and every fruit and berry imaginable, piled pots of olive oil (fortunately, not being broken all the time), buckets of edible nuts, sacks of mixed grains, bags filled with mushrooms, spices, incense, petals or herbs, and who knows what else the granary housed. Smaller sacks hung on the walls and ceiling. The granary had an aromatic scent of produce and the cedar used to construct it. It was a very nice-smelling place.

"Well, looks like everyone's been really busy when you were gone." Kibou remarked.

The albino briefly looked at Kibou, and then lifted her arms to roll her long sleeves up a bit, and then conveniently took a loaf of bread, which before cooked was mixed with bits of fruit, oats and nuts in the dough. She stepped out of the granary, holding her bread with both hands happily, and noticed that someone was waiting for her outside.


	8. Chapter 7 - Vera

_(Chapter 7 dialogue for Vera helped by Luna-of-Black-Roses)_

 **Chapter 7**

 **Vera**

 _This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you._

 _\- Bible, John 15:12_

"And where have you been?" a tall girl demanded, Luna for some reason not even noticing her until now, and so Luna stopped to look up at the little lady waiting for her.

The tall girl had bright brown eyes, bright brown hair, and bright brown skin. The colour of her eyes, hair and skin all had the same tone. The tall girl was a very outside person, sun tanning her skin over the course of many years, and her endeavours made her lean and strong. She had an angular, chiselled face, and was very tall; most other Kokiri, even the boys, were not even up to her shoulders!

The tall girl was a young lady who liked extremes, and she had extremely long well-groomed shiny hair, reaching her hips as a ponytail. She wore tall leather boots that reached her knees, worn over her trousers. She also wore long leather gloves that reached her elbows, pulled over the sleeves of her shirt. Each of her boots had one-half of a Deku Nutshell riveted over the toes of the boot, forming something like steel-toed boots, but one-half of a giant nutshell used instead of a steel plate.

The tall girl's face was quite remarkable, with intricate woad tattoos darkening her eyelids and eye sockets, the pattern tailing across the temples, above the eyebrows, under the ears, down the cheekbones, around the mouth, around the lips, along the jawline, and continuing down the neck all around. A separate tattoo adorned her forehead, similar to the symbol of the Kokiri, continuing to the tips of her long pointy ears and down the bridge of her nose.

The woad (indigo dye) did not actually dye her skin blue or form true tattooing, but instead, woad corroded the skin, leaving behind dark purplish burnt-like markings that looked both frightening and painful. Since she used the same pattern for so long, by this time, the pattern had engraved into the skin, resembling henna tattooing scars, which only made everything worse considering the lass's displeased face. She had a blue fairy, who didn't say or do anything, but was looking at Kibou.

"Well?" the tall girl asked impatiently, but Luna replied by taking a little bite out of her bread, and walked around the tall girl, to move on without farther ado. Or so Luna expected; the displeased girl sidestepped in front of her, preventing her from walking away, and now she was up-close to the tattooed Kokiri. A few other Kokiri happened to walk passed, but they did nothing, somewhat afraid of the tall girl.

"Don't you dare just walk away! Is that all you do? Do whatever you want and just walk away as if nothing happened?" the tattooed girl grumbled, but Luna said nothing, standing her ground firmly.

The two stood before one another, eyeing each other for a few seconds, sleep-deprived face against tattooed face, and the tall girl stepped back to make some space, and looked away for a moment.

"You need a bath. You don't even take care yourself, I'm surprised you're not covered in fleas yet. Look at yourself! You stink, you're dirty, your hair is messy, and you're unhealthy." the tall girl complained, glad to have found a means to hide her brief retreat.

"Why are you mad at me? I haven't done anything to you." Luna finally replied, irritated by the annoying comments, the little albino grasping her bread tightly for a moment, fingernails digging into the crust.

"You're right, Luna! You haven't done anything to me, and you haven't done anything to anyone, you don't do anything. You literally don't do anything! You never work, you never clean-up, you don't help anyone work, you don't help anyone clean, you don't do anything for the community, all you do is take whatever you want and leave whenever you want. And I'm sick of it, and I think it's time someone stands up to you and your selfishness." the tall girl complained.

"What? Me, selfish?" Luna asked somewhat stupidly.

"Yeah! What work did you do lately? Go on, let's hear it, what work did you do?" the tattooed girl asked.

It sounded like an easy question, but Luna realized she did not have an answer, for she really did not do much for the Kokiri. As long as she could remember, she was quite the lone wolf.

"Well, I went out... to scout the Lost Woods." Luna blurted, slightly blushing and looking down to the side, trying to figure out what to say.

"Pfff, like anyone's going to believe that. Nothing can go through the Lost Woods, no one needs you running away just to do nothing. You don't deserve to take anything from the granary, you've never did anything to deserve anything." the tall girl spat, and the very fat boy drawing water from the well finished pulling the bucket up, brow a little sweaty, resting the bucket atop the stones of the well.

"Nature's bounty is for everyone, Vera." the chubby boy at the well remarked, wiping his brow with his pointed hat.

"Yeah, I know, but still, someone has to do something about this parasite." the tall girl scorned, looking at the boy and then turning her head to gesture that Luna was the parasite. Luna felt that insult hit her in the forehead but she did nothing about it.

"Instead of complaining, why don't you help her, show her how to do things properly." Kibou remarked.

"That's easy, she just needs to stop acting like a retarded runaway and start helping others work. I'm not expecting her to work hard, that's up to Kokiri like me who can handle working hard, but the least she can do is help around." Vera scoffed at Kibou.

"I'm sure she will try." Kibou assured with a forward tilt.

"Let's hope so! And you're her guardian fairy, shouldn't you be the one guiding her? You are supposed to be raising your pet to be useful." Vera bickered, waving her hand up briefly.

"You don't know how much I did for her." Kibou replied softly as a few Kokiri walked passed the scene, preferring to keep themselves to themselves.

"Well, if that's the case, then obviously you're not doing good enough. Look at her! She's as pale as snow, her hair is dead, she's skinny, she looks like she's already becoming undead." Vera exclaimed, looking back and forth at the fairy and the albino, gesturing her hand to show how much of a failure Luna was.

"You're just doing everything to put me down." Luna whined, wanting to cross her arms but remembering that she held a loaf of bread, and looked away angrily. The fat boy stared stupidly at the scene, wondering what to do, but unable to figure out what to do.

"Because you deserve it, you deserve to be put down." Vera assured, slightly leaning forward, and Luna did feel a bit intimidated from Vera's height. Luna couldn't really do much. Vera was a strong, tough, brave individual, what a hero should be, exactly not what Luna felt like.

"Whatever. You're the reason I prefer to be out alone all the time, you prick." Luna complained, clenching her hands and looking away for a moment, having a strong dislike of being around people whilst almost being the centre of attention, a few kids looking at her when she said prick, perhaps a swearword for them, but Vera did not care.

"You know, Luna, if you really do run away, you are literally every negative thing I have just said about you, which means my opinion of you will not change. But you don't care, I know that much. That's not gonna stop me from criticizing—being honest—about you, as there's nothing you can do to shut me up. You honestly believe you can just do as you please regardless of consequences, so now, I'm here to bring them to you."

"You're taking this too far, leave her alone." the fat boy remarked, Luna and Vera briefly looking at him.

"I will leave her alone, she needs to be left alone, I hope she stays alone forever. Next time you run off to the Lost Woods, I hope you get lost and I hope you stay lost. You deserve to be gone, forgotten, lost forever! You deserve to become a Stalchild." Vera bitterly said, really trying to be offensive, though Luna did not appear bothered by those words.

However, Vera's words hurt Kibou so much that he flew into Vera's face and vibrated furiously before her, sounding like an angry bell, and her eyes and eyebrows narrowed at him.

"Listen to me you uptight little bitch! Sounds like you are the one who needs to be left alone! Looks like you are the one who hasn't been raised right! No matter how much you put her down to make yourself feel better, you will never take away the morals you don't and ever will have!" Kibou screeched.

"Get out of my face, stupid fairy." Vera demanded, backhanding Kibou, her knuckles audibly knocking against the black fairy, so solidly that he instantly fell like a moth shutting its wings.

Luna dropped her bread and placed both hands over her mouth with a gasp, leaning forwards, eyes wide and shiny, holding her breath in, watching Kibou's wings slowly move back and forth as if he were a dying butterfly. Dozens of nearby fairies and several Kokiri stopped whatever they were doing and paused, looking at Kibou.

"Vera! You don't hit a fairy!" Vera's blue fairy squeaked, she as shocked as Luna was, but Vera did not seem to care even as she watched Kibou just lying there in the grass. Several small groups of fairies, with and without Kokiri, formed nearby, wondering how anyone could hit a creature as innocent and harmless as a fairy.

Vera watched Kibou for a few seconds and did gradually look at least a little guilty and ashamed, but not by much, just enough for her cheeks to redden slightly. If her skin were not so tanned, then everyone would have seen her guilty blush. She looked forward and that was when Luna pounced on her, causing Vera to flinch.

Luna flailed her clenched hands wildly, overly long sleeves flapping everywhere, repeatedly slapping her knuckles into Vera's face, eyes and shoulders, but Luna did not know how to fight against another person. Vera lowered her shoulders and leaned forwards a bit, lifting her forearms in front of herself, feeling Luna's flurry bounce pathetically off her defence. Vera did not want to hit Luna back, resorting to standing her ground firmly and blocking Luna's flurry, but after a few seconds, Vera delivered an uppercut under Luna's jaw.

Luna felt the full force of Vera's uppercut, Luna feeling her lower teeth rise suddenly and click against her upper teeth, jawbone cracking hotly with sharp pain. At the same time her legs became jelly and she fell on her bottom, hands clutching the grass. Several Kokiri girls and boys put their hands over their mouths, but one boy chuckled for some reason, probably enjoying seeing something so different for a change. Instantly, several Kokiri ran to the scene to break the fight, pushing Vera back and swarming between the two girls like giant green bees.

Luna remained seated on the ground where she fell, breathing hard, knees bent, sweaty palms pressing against the ground, entire body shaking, and feeling her heart beating furiously, pumping her blood so quickly she felt her veins heating her up. Her brow formed sweat, and she felt drops of that salty liquid drip down her neck and back, clothes sticking to her sweaty skin. She was frightened, and hurt. Her albinism really made her blushing cheeks show, so much that they were red, not pink, made all the worse that her nose started dripping.

The reddened albino sniffled, trying to pick herself up, but she continued shaking and her wobbly legs refused to move. She never got punched before. She tried again, but rather than get up, instead swatted aside the Kokiri offering their hands to help her. Luna didn't want help, so the Kokiri left her alone, not looking at her face in hopes she would calm down very soon.

"How could Vera do that?" one Kokiri girl asked another.

"That was so mean, she's so much taller than her." a boy remarked.

"Vera, you ought to be ashamed of yourself! Hitting a fellow Kokiri and her fairy!" another girl exclaimed, and soon, clusters of Kokiri chatted away into an indecipherable murmur.

Luna tried to get up a third time, and the third time she failed. She reared her head and shoulders away from the fat boy who offered his hand to help her up to her feet. She then felt something touch her shoulder, and looked to the side. Kibou landed on her.

"If you fall down, get up." Kibou said to Luna's ear, and she felt his tiny hands grasp her shirt. Despite being so small, he was quite strong, but whether or not he made a difference, he helped Luna get up.

Luna stood, a little shaky, but at least on her feet. Several Kokiri nearly cheered her success, clasping their hands joyously, but it didn't make Luna feel any better. Ignoring everyone, Luna walked through the crowd angrily, even shoving, staring at the ground, trying to do everything she could not to cry. But, she could not hold the tears in, and soon felt the warm drops trickling, cheeks and lips feeling heavier than usual suddenly. She really did not want anyone to see her cry, but felt them staring at her doing just that anyways.

"You're lucky I was wearing gloves." Vera acidly remarked as Luna passed her, but Luna didn't care, only making a sniffle and looking at the ground.

A small number of Kokiri followed Luna for a while, obviously concerned about her, but they eventually stopped and let her go on her own. Kibou sat on her shoulder, obviously having received more physical punishment than she did, but he held up pretty good.

"I hope she'll be alright." a boy remarked, arms at his sides and watching Luna pass him.

"Yeah, hope so, too." a girl wished, fingers at her mouth.

Luna walked on and on, head and shoulders low. She wiped her nose and face with her long sleeves every now and then, ignoring everything, and eventually reached her dwelling. Her home was one of the last ones, but plenty of magnificent forests stretched on and on anyways. She looked up a tree, feeling a few teardrops roll down her face, and grasped the net-like configuration of crisscrossing ropes, and climbed up. Kibou hovered along before her. About thirty feet high, she climbed atop a branch and walked along it, and reached her dwelling.

The Kokiri dwellings in the trees were a bird nest-like construction of intertwining branches and thin flexible beams, with a pyramidal thatched roof, essentially, a giant basket with thatched roofing built over a huge tree limb and forked branches. Thick cloth carpets covered the flooring to make it more comfortable to walk on, and a thick curtain, tied to the side, served as the door. Kibou tried to untie the cord of the curtain, to close it, but was too hurt.

Luna untied the cord for Kibou, and the curtain loosened closed, blocking out all light. Kibou's presence, although his light black, offered enough illumination to see. Luna was glad Kibou couldn't see her face anymore, both remaining silent in their defeat and sadness. Kibou wanted to say something, to cheer Luna up, but in his nervousness and discomfort from Vera's strike, did not know what to say. He just perched on Luna's shoulder, hoping that maybe it would provide her with some comfort, but she made no reaction.

The albino did not have much in her home. At the other side from the entrance was the bed, beside the wall, just a series of overlapping cloth carpets with a blanket and pillow. A bucket, a few baskets, piled towels, and an axe with a stone head were to the left of the bed. To the right of the bed stood a thin, short table, with a few wooden plates, bowls, cups, spoons and knives atop it. Under the table were spare clothes and pyjamas.

Luna sat on her bed, kicking her boots off. Kibou glided off her shoulder and landed beside the bed. Luna snuggled under the covers, breathing lightly but audibly for two seconds, and her head soon disappeared under the blanket. Kibou hovered above Luna, and after a few seconds of meditation, his body zoomed into and disappeared inside Luna's head with a high-pitched jingle, leaving behind spark-like lights that faded away, as if entering her mind supernaturally. Outside, the sunset became dusk, and dusk became night. At least the day ended.


	9. Chapter 8 - A Change of Heart

**Chapter 8**

 **A Change of Heart**

 _durate et vosmet rebus servate secundis (carry on and preserve yourselves for better times)_

 _\- Vergil_

The next day came, and by morning, most Kokiri were up and busy, going back to work, whatever it was. Of course, with the exception for Luna, who slept well into the afternoon. Inside her dwelling, Kibou awoke, seemingly materializing out of thin air, appearing as tiny lights shooting out of Luna that then chinked and fell to the flooring. The falling lights disappeared, and Kibou flew around. Luna was sound asleep on her side, facing the entrance, knees and elbows bent, mouth slightly open, hair covering most of her face, and breathing softly. She looked like she really needed sleep.

Kibou would not bother Luna, letting her sleep, but he wanted something to do. He heard the children outside laughing, playing, and working. He flew to the entrance, and after some strenuous meditation, flew through the curtain as a sparkle, zigzagging its way through the fabric, and he reappeared on the other side once the light reformed into his bodily shape. He stretched himself midair, feeling a little stiff and sore from yesterday's travel and Vera's backhand, also feeling his face and chest heat up at the thought, but he had to keep going forward in life.

At least Kokiri Forest was active and alive, the opposite of Luna. Kibou looked around, and saw Vera practising with her franciscas, throwing them gently and allowing the revolutions to embed the axe head into the hay bales. She was quite good at throwing axes, but never hit the bulls-eye, much to her irritation. The black fairy huffed with displeasure, wondering if there was some way he could get even with that indigo-faced vixen. Though, at the same time, he did not want to hurt Vera's fairy's feelings either. Vera's fairy hovered near her for the time being as guardian fairies often do. Near Vera were other Kokiri with similar indigo markings on their faces, Kokiri like her, some boys and some girls, practising shooting bows or throwing weapons.

Kibou descended, and soon, five pink fairies flew to him. These fairies were wild, and did not have Kokiri to look after. The five fairies were three boys and two girls. The girls were Foa, Patty and Chloe, the boys were Arvo and Kayk.

"Hey, Kibou, I saw w-w-what happened yesterday, and we just wanted to see how things were going w-w-w-w-when you woke up. We w-w-were waiting for you like good friends, like real friends." one of the fairies said, her voice a little quivery, and every time she stuttered, her aura let off a twinkling sound.

"I'm alright Foa, just a little beat-up, I never got hit by someone before." Kibou replied casually, hovering beside the five fairies.

"Are you really, really, really feeling alright?" another fairy asked, expressing his concern by tilting forward and hovering a little too close to Kibou, who slightly reared, so the two backed off from each other. "Sorry."

"It's OK, Arvo. I'm alright, I really am, I will get better in a few days or so. I just want to see Nina, Vera's guardian fairy." Kibou replied, implying he didn't really want to talk.

"Yes, of course, we just wanted to see if you were doing OK, and you are, obviously." Chloe assured.

"But could you go check on Luna for me? I think she'll be a little cranky with me, she's usually grumpy in the morning for no reason. But maybe if she meets other fairies, she'll feel like she belongs here."

"Uh, ya, sure, if you guys are ok with it." Patty said, looking at her four friends.

"Yeah, why not." Kayk remarked, and the three other fairies nodded.

"Thanks so much my friends. If she's still asleep, let her sleep, but keep an eye until she wakes up, or plan something, anything you think will cheer her up. She needs the most of it now. Keep her busy for a while." Kibou said. The fairies nodded to each other and parted ways.

Kibou soon reached Vera, but she did not notice him, though her fairy did, and flew to him. Vera still had a few more axes to hurl.

"Hi, Kibou." Nina, Vera's blue fairy, greeted softly and sadly.

"Hello Nina, can we talk in private?" Kibou asked, Nina nodded.

Vera overheard in the instance she was about to throw a francisca, pausing, and then turning her head over her shoulder to see who her fairy was talking to. Vera did not look happy, eyebrows furrowed.

"I'll be back." Nina said to her child excitedly. Vera nodded as if she did not care, focusing on her target practice.

Kibou and Nina flew a short distance away together, both turning to look at Vera for a moment. Vera stared back for a second but did not appear angry anymore, then went back to focusing on her target practice.

"I am really sorry for what happened. I should have intervened. I should have done something, anything. I am so slow-thinking. I will talk to her soon, maybe tomorrow, Mido summoned her to speak to her about yesterday. I'm sure she's a little nervous about that, so I don't want to get her frustrated." Nina explained.

"Don't worry about it, don't talk about what happened, it's forgiven. It was partly my fault, I should not have said anything. I'm like Vera, I get mad quickly just like her, maybe I deserved to get slapped like that. I'll be sure to never insult anyone ever again." Kibou said.

"And I'll be sure to never watch something happen and do nothing about it!" Nina exclaimed with a squeak, shaking midair as she spoke.

"Let's not worry about that, it is forgiven, I forgive Vera. I just wanted to tell you that, but there's something else that is important." Kibou said.

"Like what?" Nina asked, at first excited, but now concerned.

"Nina, it's about my child, Luna. Everyone knows she likes running away, and I think she wants to run away, but this time, runaway, like, permanently. I think she wants to leave the forest entirely." Kibou replied with a slight sigh. The two fairies stared at each other for a few seconds, bobbing in the air.

"What? Run away and leave the forest? She will become lost, or die, or... worse. Kibou, we need to do something!" Nina cried, placing her hands to her mouth.

"I warned her too, she knows the warnings, she knows the consequences, but I think she wants to become lost. In case she does run away, this time to disappear forever, I will be going after her. So, if Luna and me suddenly disappear, and you don't hear from us again for a very long time, you will know I am gone too, looking for her." Kibou explained.

"We have to do something, then!" Nina cried again, turning around and buzzing through the air, and Kibou flew after her, calling her name repeatedly, grabbing her hand and holding her midair.

"Nina! Wait, hold on a sec." Kibou said, holding Nina's hand between his palms and lifting them up. "This is something none of us can stop. The best thing to do is not to rub it in her face, let's just leave her alone about it. Let's wait and see first. Luna probably feels very emotional right now, even mentioning her to stay here will only just make her want to run away. When you go with Vera to see Mido, tell him what I said. All the Kokiri just have to leave her alone, please."

"OK, I will try, but I think that's a bad idea. Everyone needs to get together and treat her like a queen, we need to make her feel welcomed." Nina said, moving closer to Kibou, raising her shoulders and inhaling strongly when she felt him squeeze her hands, the two fairies' auras mingling together.

"Luna hates being around people, she would feel lost in a crowd. I've been with her for so long, I know how she is. I am her guardian fairy, I know what is best for her. She feels at peace alone and when everyone is ignoring her, she lives in her own world, disconnected from reality. She needs to be alone, at least away from other Kokiri. Tell that to Mido, too, please. You will, won't you?" Kibou implored, slowly dropping his hands, fingertips feeling Nina's forearms, the two staring into each other's eyes.

"I will," Nina replied, "I will."

"Thank you Nina, I know this will work, so try to do as I said, and try to do what you can to convince Mido to think the same way. OK, I'll go check on Luna, see how she's doing. Thank you for your time." Kibou said with a nod, and he flew off, Nina following him for a second, wanting to reach out and grab him like what he did to her, but she could not muster the courage.

Nina watched Kibou fly away, hearing the franciscas striking the hay bales, Kokiri chatting and working, and a breeze gently swaying the branches of trees. Nina's wings tilted backwards, already feeling a longing to be with Kibou. She noticed Vera looking up at her, so Nina flew back to her.

Kibou made his way towards Luna's home, flying overhead the working Kokiri below. He watched them work, doing whatever job they did, and noticed how happy and energetic they were. They were like joyful termites in green clothing and pointy hats. Although their guardian fairies did not do much, the pixies also chatted and flew around, making everything look pretty and colourful, and active.

The black fairy noticed someone outside of Luna's home. Sitting cross-legged on the ground at the trunk of Luna's tree, was a fat Kokiri boy, hat over most of his face, jaw resting on his hands and elbows resting on his knees. He looked asleep. Kibou did not really care, but did notice that this boy did not have a fairy. Kibou ascended to Luna's dwelling.

Passing as sparkling light through the curtain, the black fairy reappeared inside the home. Luna remained lying on her side, and the five pink fairies huddled with her. They all looked asleep. Kibou quietly chuckled, Luna looked so cute asleep with a bunch of fairies. Luna's eyelids twitched and she awoke, and noticed Kibou's black light. Luna sat up with a high-pitched yawn, stopping her yawn halfway and pausing, one arm bent and the other outstretched upwards, when she noticed the five pink fairies hovered before her.

"Good afternoon Luna, sleep well?" Kibou asked with a chuckle. Luna dropped her arms, wondering what other fairies were doing here.

"Hi Luna." Chloe greeted with a nod, and the other pink fairies said hello one after the other, Luna staring at them as they greeted her one by one, and she wondering how to react.

Luna fell back into her bed, covering herself with a grunt.

"Kibou, you think I want to have company over when I'm like this?" Luna whined, hands clasping her blankets and pulling them up to her face, face reddening at what happened yesterday.

"Hey, we're not here to make you feel bad. There's a lot of people and fairies who care about you, we want to see you happy." Arvo comforted, or at least tried.

"I feel best alone, I want to be alone." Luna whined, exhaling through her mouth grumpily.

"Someone sounds grumpy. Hey, Patty, Kayk, maybe we should try to make Luna feel better?" Foa suggested.

"There's nothing you can do to make me feel better." Luna assured.

"Wanna bet?" Foa asked, and then she turned to face the other pink fairies, and spoke to them with a twinkling effect, vocalizing like the ting of a tiny bell so that Luna could not understand them.

The five pink fairies twinkled to each other, all nodded at the same time, and then they flew to Luna, scurrying under her blankets, and Luna started kicking and giggling.

"No! Don't tickle me!" Luna cried, squinting, a smile erupting from ear to ear.

Luna writhed on the spot under her blankets, limbs sticking out and lifting the covers here and there as she felt the onslaught of tickling fairies. The pixies twinkled and clinked, rapidly vibrating their wings and harassing the sides of Luna's ribs with their tiny hands. Luna wanted to just swat them away, but didn't want to hurt them.

"OK! Stop it, stop it! I'm laughing so much it's hurting me!" Luna laughed, her abs working out and she felt them strain.

The tiny beings continued gently prodding Luna, causing her to kick and twitch. She wanted to get up, but those pesky pixies were really good at tickling, and Luna just lied, writhing from tickles, unable to do anything. She was entirely at their mercy, and her laughing became weaker with each passing second.

"That's e-e-enough! Ssstop it before you tickle me to death! I can't breathe!" Luna cried, trying to catch her breath, eyes watery, face red and beaming, smiling so much that her mouth hurt, and giggling so much that her stomach became stiff with pain.

The pesky pixies soon stopped, as they too became tired, hovering above Luna. The albino Kokiri became limp, limbs flopping, and now she had a moment to breathe again. She moved hair out of her eyes and took a strong breath, and sat up with some difficulty, having to rest her palms on her bed to keep herself from falling.

"Uh, what are they doing here, anyways?" Luna asked once she regained herself, stroking her hair, looking at Kibou and then wiping her eyes dry with her sleeve.

"I just invited some friends over, I was hoping that some company would be nice. I know how much you don't like being around people, but fairies never bothered you. Looks like it was a good idea." Kibou replied, and his pink friends chuckled.

"Oh, uh, my place is kinda messy. I'm shy about that." Luna remarked, trying to cool down.

"This place isn't that messy, it's alright." Foa commented.

"Not really." Luna said, looking around, feeling ashamed by how humble her home appeared.

"Well, at least you actually have a home, I don't, most wild fairies don't have anything." Kayk said. Luna made a small smile from pity.

"Feel welcome to sleep here whenever you want to, I'm barely home anyways." Luna offered, and then she stood up, stretching herself.

"So, what do you plan on doing today?" Kibou asked a little nervously. "You can stay home if you want too."

"Well, I really need a bath, and I want to do something. I have to do something for the Kokiri, I am one of them, it's time to grow up and be a Kokiri." Luna said, surprising Kibou.

"Oh, but, um, you can stay home if you want, no one's pushing you." Kibou implored.

"Yeah, no one's telling you what to do." Patty bumped in.

"Oh, I'm not afraid of Vera, maybe I deserved it." Luna said, and made a halfhearted chuckle. She looked at Kibou seriously, "Kibou, I am sorry for just letting you splat on the ground. I should have held you instead of attacking Vera, I should have protected you. I feel guilty for never having done anything for you, yet you've done so much for me." she continued sadly.

Kibou never expected to hear that, and almost wanted to shed a few tears. He didn't know what to say. Luna opened the curtain and sunlight shone into her dwelling. She saw a vast world out there, with bustling children, birdsong, gentle wind, and a sunny sky. It looked like a perfect day to change her life! She just stared at the sunny sky, wondering what she was missing.


	10. Chapter 9 - Friendship

**Chapter 9**

 **Friendship**

 _The peace of all things is the tranquillity of order._

 _\- St. Augustine_

Luna took a deep breath at the sight of nature. She tied the curtain to the side and stepped out, Kibou and the pink fairies flying after Luna and hovering above her. Luna then sighed, leaning against the entrance of her dwelling. She crossed her arms, put one leg over the other, and just stared.

"Feeling OK?" Kibou asked, Luna looked up at him.

"Honestly, my tummy feels like it's trying to move up on its own. But I have to face my fears, I have to do this." Luna replied, looking down upon the scenery, hoping that not too many children saw her. She stroked her hair across her forehead.

"I am proud of you for trying." Kibou encouraged.

"I won't try, I will do it right the first time." Luna replied, and then she climbed down the tree, the fairies descending along with her.

Luna's little boots eventually touched the ground, and she walked forth. The fat boy suddenly awoke, watching Luna walk passed him, wondering how she did not see him. Once he straightened his torso, a loaf of bread revealed to be on his lap, so he grasped it and stood up. He followed Luna quickly and eagerly.

"Hey, Luna!" the boy called, but Luna made no reaction. He wondered why, so he walked after her, asking where she was going, but she did not reply.

Puzzled as to why Luna ignored him, the Kokiri boy then walked in front of Luna, causing her to gasp and touch her mouth with one hand, and in turn, the boy also gasped. The fairies hovered on the spot and looked at what just happened. The two children stared at each other for a few seconds.

"Uh, hi." Luna said with a rather empty voice.

"Hi, Luna." the boy greeted, wondering what to say, moving his dark hair out of his blue eyes, feeling his cheeks get warm.

Another pause came and left, the fairies looking at the chubby boy, as if waiting for him to do something.

"This is the part when you talk about what you think." Kibou whispered to the boy, who breifly looked up and nodded nervously.

"Uh, well, I saw what happened yesterday, and when you dropped your bread. I felt really bad. No one would ever take the dropped bread, so I gave it to the birds, can't waste. So, um, well, when I woke up this morning, I made you another loaf of bread, just like the last one, with nuts and fruits inside. I wanted to give it to you." the boy explained, extending his chubby arms to Luna.

Kibou, Chloe, Foa, Patty, Kayk and Arvo all titled backwards at the same time with an in-sync high-pitched sigh at the boy's kindness. Luna looked surprised, keeping her chin up but eyes staring down at the bread. She never received a gift before, and did not know how to react. Yet another awkward pause came, lasting a few seconds, the Kokiri children in the background audibly working away.

"Oh? Um, thank you Elmo, that is very sweet of you." Luna finally said, but she didn't budge, and the fat Kokiri boy made a nervous smile. Another odd pause came, so he slightly raised his gift.

"Yeah, I just wanted to be nice. We don't hate you, we want you to be happy like the rest of us." Elmo, the fat Kokiri boy, said, waiting for Luna to take the loaf, which she did slowly with both hands.

"I haven't eaten for quite a while, thank you so much." Luna said shyly, eyes looking away.

Luna felt ashamed about her lifestyle, never doing work, but getting free food without really deserving it, the thought of Vera's words hitting her in the head. Unable to hide her bashfulness, her cheeks became red. She felt her face and chest become hot inside. Elmo nodded.

"There you go, always happy to help! And don't worry about what Vera says," Elmo said, saying the name Vera with a teasing tone, "she doesn't have many friends, she needs to work on her attitude. You've never done anything bad, but Vera gets mad and does stupid things all the time!" he continued, which he hoped would make Luna feel better.

"Well, I guess I need to do that too, heh heh..." Luna admitted, pushing her hand through her hair, "But I want to get even with her, I just have to find a, uh, a gentle way, or something." Luna thought, pondering about a plan, but unable to find one.

"Well, just hope she doesn't do anything stupid, but I heard she's going to see Mido! Ha! So she won't do anything today, she doesn't want to get into any more trouble, that's for sure." Elmo said, that is, encouraged Luna to consider some payback.

"I dunno, maybe, but first, I really need a bath. I know I must smell really bad and... Thanks again for the bread, see you later." Luna thanked happily, her happy face making Elmo smile, and she walked on.

"Thanks for helping, I think she's definitely feeling better." Kibou said to Elmo, who nodded.

"Ya! Good job Elmo!" Patty cheered with a little squeak, and she and her fairy friends continued to follow Luna, Elmo watching them go, until he too decided to part ways and return to his carpentry somewhere.

Luna ate her bread as she made her way through the village. The bread was really good, the cooked nuts and fruits inside made the bread almost taste like cake. As she walked towards the pond, she noticed that some Kokiri she passed greeted the day to her, trying to make her feel better, to feel welcomed, but she felt a little nervous. She simply made a small smile and nodded at them, just wanting to be left alone. Kibou noticed and hovered beside Luna's ear.

"Just think about what you want to do, don't worry about them." he told her, but she made no reaction.

Sometime later, while finishing the remaining portion of her bread, she went down to the Kokiri Village, where there were homes made out of entire hollowed stumps of gigantic trees. She then went to the pond, to wash herself, on the way grabbing a brush and little bar of hard soap made from vegetable oil and sodium from a stall. Nearby was a clothesline with towels and dry clothes, which she walked under so that her movement caused a towel to slip off the line and land on her shoulder.

Sitting at the shoreline of the pond, she put down her soap, towel and brush, took her boots off, and set them aside, slipping off her socks and putting them in the boots. Her feet looked rather red and sore. She put her feet into the clear, cool water, and wiggled her toes, feet feeling relieved and refreshed.

Luna looked around and saw several other Kokiri boys and girls also enjoying the pond, a few hopping from block to block playfully but not finding any blue ruppees. One of the girls had a bucket, which she filled from the waterfall and walked away with it happily. The Kokiri only took water from the waterfall or stream above the cliff for drinking, whereas the pond below was used for washing and cleaning. The Kokiri in the water wore either swimsuits or undergarments.

Luna then noticed Vera at the other side of the pond, washing her hair with egg white mixed with ale in a large wooden bowl, massaging her scalp with the mixture and looking very pleased. Vera did not have her gloves, and her sleeves were rolled up. Vera either did not notice Luna or just ignored her, and Vera's presence made Luna nervous. Luna realized that she was afraid of Vera, and yesterday's scuffle repeated in her mind. Luna remembered that uppercut very well, recalling that hot, cracking sensation she felt when her jaw received Vera's fist, but she quickly shook that thought out.

Kibou flew off to chat with Nina, Vera's blue guardian fairy, and his five pink friends followed to do the same. Luna did not overhear what they were talking about, only seeing them hovering in a cluster. The way Kibou and Nina were always floating so closely together made Luna think that they were very close.

Well, Luna would not let Vera ruin her day, and she remembered what Elmo said in regards to Vera's appointment with Mido, so Vera would not want to be causing trouble anyways. But still, Luna did not feel good about what Vera did to her, and she found hatred swirling inside of herself. Luna stared at Vera rubbing her head, and almost scowled. Luna really wanted to get even with that lady... but she would wash herself first.

Luna now sat in the water, wearing only her undergarments, long white hair floating around her. The breeze made the afternoon rather cold, but she didn't mind. She just acted like a lazy lily, enjoying the refreshingly cool, crystal-clear water. Sometimes, she would look around, hoping that no one was looking at her, but Kokiri rinsing themselves off in the pond was common and nothing to worry about, but she often felt a tinge of shyness.

A Kokiri boy without a shirt washed his hair with soap under the waterfall, leaning in just enough to mostly just get his head wet. Vera was now shaking her hair underwater, getting the mix off, and suddenly her hair looked shiny and beautiful. She then reapplied the mixture to wash her hair again.

Eventually, Luna took her hard soap and brush and washed herself, her hair, her clothes, socks, and garments. She looked rather grumpy to be scrubbing her shirt and pants in her hands, she wished they could just clean themselves. She even thought of maybe getting Kibou to wash her clothes for her, but there was only so much a fairy could do. Most of the other Kokiri at the pond finished, and took their leave.

"How's the water, Luna?" a boy asked as he left the scene, Luna nodding.

Luna eventually finished her bath, twisting her clothes to squeeze the water out, and then dried herself off with the towel. She put her clothes back on, feeling the wet cloth stick to her skin, sat down, rinsed her feet in the pond to get the bits of dirt off, dried them off, and then put on her socks and boots. Damp clothes didn't bother her too much, though the socks were still rather damp, which would hurt her skin if she walked too much.

While drying off her hair with the towel, Luna noticed Vera. Vera was still at the edge of the pond, kneeling, and assaulting her scalp and hair with her makeshift shampoo. Luna assumed that Vera had an obsession with her hair, but the results showed, as Vera's hair was long, flowing, shiny, and perfect, like endless strings of glowing oaken fibres.

Luna then wondered if she could make her own hair that beautiful, but since her albinism gave her snow-white hair, well, there wasn't much she could really do to add colour. Perhaps she could dye it, but she felt a surge of jealousy, now rubbing her towel across her head very slowly, eyes narrowing. Kibou and Nina had flown off to hover beside the waterfall to chat there, and Kibou's pink fairy friends seemed to say their goodbyes and flew off towards the Lost Woods up above.

Luna hung the towel, put away the brush and soap, and thought about returning home. She then felt sadness, face becoming solemn at the thought of home. She did not want to go home. She heard Vera splash her long beautiful hair, and turned around to look at the almond-coloured girl. Luna did not even notice she slightly lowered her own face, but kept staring at Vera, and slightly furrowed her eyebrows. Reflecting about yesterday angrily, Luna really wanted at least some revenge. Although still afraid, she forced herself to do something, and walked towards Vera, who was oblivious to the world, lost in her hair so much that she would out-Narcissus Narcissus in narcissism.

Taking the advantage of surprise, Luna walked behind Vera and kicked her in the ass, hard. Instantly, Vera grabbed her sides and attempted to straighten herself, and in doing so, lost balance and fell into the pond, arms extended, hands open, and her face immediately flopping into the water. Luna lifted her shoulders and bent her arms, unable to hold in her giggling, and perhaps a dozen other Kokiri also chuckled at what happened.

"Look! Vera fell into the water!" a girl shouted whiel covering her mouth and laughing.

The sudden splash startled Nina, and she and Kibou, who were hovering very, very close together, swirled around for a second, wondering what just happened. Both got a little chuckle from Vera as her head popped out of the water, shaking her head, hair flailing, and water flicking everywhere.

Vera, now obviously soaked, turned around, palms on the ground under the pond, only her head, shoulders and knees visible, sticking out of the water surface. She was obviously pissed-off, eyebrows furrowed, mouth crookedly slightly open, lips and left eyelid twitching for a second, and upper and lower rows of teeth pressing against each other, staring at Luna as if she were a mosquito.

Luna found much delight in what she had done, and by the sounds of it, so did the other Kokiri who witnessed Vera's little plunge. Vera looked down, lowering her chin, watching the ripples angrily, already feeling embarrassed at the thought of the village gossiping about her little misfortune. But, most annoying of all, was Luna, _Luna_ and her _giggling_. Vera picked herself up, water leaking down her here and there, and in a hissy fit, vigorously slapped the water with both her hands and splashed Luna, ending the albino's giggling instantly. It was Vera's turn to chuckle, Luna pausing as the water dripped down her, eyebrows lifted, and face keeping a surprised expression. A few nearby Kokiri chuckled at that, too.

Vera and Luna obviously didn't like each other, but for some reason, they both looked to the side at the same time, water dripping down their frames, both seeing Mido standing nearby, shaking his head. Everyone became quiet upon the presence of their leader, all looking at him.

Mido was like the chieftain of this tribe of immortal children. He wore a sleeveless shirt, shorts, and a pointed cap, his clothing and shoes green (his shoes were a lighter shade of green than his clothes). He was a lean lad, with blue eyes, messy bright red hair, and the tip of his cap bent forward. Although he was a very old Kokiri, he was still an ageless child.

"Well Vera, I'm still waiting for you, what's taking you so long?" Mido asked, displeased but not angry.

"Luna pushed me in the freakin' pond!" Vera replied while angrily stepping out the pond, trying to think of something. She knew what she said was not the best excuse, seeing as if she only did her hair quicker this would not have had happened.

"When you're dry, come and see me at my house like you were summoned to do. Don't keep me waiting, I should not have to walk around looking for you when you're late." Mido said emotionlessly, and he headed back home.

Vera shook her head slightly, and then glared at Luna with a tilted head, indigo-scarred face nearly catching on fire, and she pushed her fingers through her hair for a second to get it out of her eyes.

"You little brat! Yesterday, I actually felt sorry for hitting your fairy and you, I really regretted it. I was going to visit you after Mido spoke to me to make amends. I wanted to be your friend, but now you proved what kind of person you really are. I won't ever treat you as one of us, you aren't one of us." Vera whined, but Luna didn't care.

"Oh come on, it was funny." Luna remarked sardonically, several other children chuckling briefly, and once Vera was close to her, Vera feigned a punch, causing Luna to flinch. Kibou and Nina looked at each other and then whizzed between their children.

"Vera, please leave her alone!" Nina cried, overemotional as usual.

"I will Nina." Vera replied plainly, giving Luna one last look before walking off to grab a towel.

Everything quickly returned to normal, with people going back to finish their remaining work for the day. Luna watched Vera dry herself with a towel, Vera turning away sharply and rubbing her head faster. Luna then noticed Kibou bobbing in the air.

"Luna! You hear me? Sometimes, you really don't pay attention!" Kibou exclaimed, hovering steadily now, "What you did was pretty funny, but don't do that. Two wrongs don't make a right, you should apologize to Vera." he continued, Luna looking at him with a surprised expression.

"I'm sorry Vera." Luna apologized plainly, and Vera disapprovingly waved her arm at Luna while drying off her hair.

Luna looked in the direction of her home, and decided to call it quits for the day. She headed home, yawning. Kibou looked at Nina and then followed Luna, Nina watching him go. Luna felt the wet socks rub against her skin, and she would surely take them off at home, as wet socks worn with footwear causes painful blisters, something a good friend will always remind.


	11. Chapter 10 - Vera's Appointment

**Chapter 10**

 **Vera's Appointment**

 _On every hand are the enemies of individuality and mental freedom._

 _\- Robert Green "Bob" Ingersoll "The Great Agnostic", Individuality, 1873_

As Luna went home, Vera tidied herself up, dried herself yet again, put things away, combed her hair, and then made her way towards Mido's house. His house was one of the hollowed-out trunks, towards the entrance of Kokiri Forest, after the pond and before the cliffs that led to the Lost Woods. His tree trunk home had overgrown tops, with many branches growing upwards and then arching over, creating a fountain of branches, which looked very pretty. Vera noticed her pace got a little slower as she approached Mido's house, and she wasn't as brave as she expected to be.

"Just think about later, this will be over soon." Nina comforted, sitting on Vera's shoulder.

"I don't really care what Mido has to say." Vera replied, stepping through the drooping branches, then through the drapes of the doorway, and entered Mido's home.

Inside, Mido's house had a red carpet going across to large pedestal-like stumps at the end of the home. Mido's home had large pots, chests, sacks and various things on the sides, as well as hunting and war gear. Mido's guardian fairy flew around him as always, a violet-coloured one for now, and Mido's fairy and Nina quickly flew to each other to chat midair. Mido sat at his pedestal-like stumps, legs dangling over the ledge and hands on the stump. He didn't look happy, but was not angry either.

"Hey, Vera." Mido greeted softly as she walked up to him, stopping before him and crossing her arms. "I'm sure you know why you're here." the boss continued, freckled face unchanging.

"Yup, I know why." Vera replied, moving her hand through her hair for some reason, feeling its dampness.

"Tell me what happened." Mido said.

"I hit her."

"I know that, but tell me everything, from the beginning."

"From the beginning? Well, basically no one knows anything about Luna, she's always been a loner who runs away all the time. She does nothing for our community, she never works, but she sure does take anything she wants to. After seeing that for so long, I got mad at her about it, called her some names, and then her fairy went in my face so I slapped him aside, and then she swatted at me so I gave her an uppercut." Vera replied nonchalantly. After a second, Mido nodded, looking at the wall for a moment, staring at a replica of the Kokiri Sword on the wall, and what memories he must have felt at that.

"At least you're honest." Mido remarked, briefly looking up at his fairy, who jingled quietly and briefly, maybe telling him something.

"I felt bad for hitting her fairy, though. That was the only reason I considered apologizing to her, but she kicked me into the pool from behind like a coward and so she doesn't deserve to be respected." Vera continued, causing Mido to look at her.

"Vera, if you keep a grudge, you will end up regretting it for your entire life. I used to be arrogant and jealous, I used to get people to do my work and even lying about it. Whenever I think about my old me, I regret all of it." Mido said solemnly, thinking about his own past, his own mistakes, his own regrets, his own failures.

"Hmph, if Luna disappeared, would anyone really care? She would make no difference." Vera spat, crossing her arms and making an angry face, as if she really meant what she said.

"Every time I hear a Kokiri trash talk another Kokiri, it feels like it is directed at me, and it hurts me. Every time you insult someone, I feel insulted. When you hurt someone, you hurt me. This isn't the first time you've intentionally put yourself in trouble with someone else. If you disappeared, would anyone really care?" Mido remarked, and his question really stood out to her, Vera's eyebrows somewhat furrowing, feeling betrayed by the boss's question. She would have slapped him were he not the boss.

"Someone has to do something! You don't really do anything for us, why don't you solve problems instead of leaving us to do it?" Vera replied with some heat, briefly raising her left hand as if to dismiss Mido, angry expression emphasized by her tattoos mapped across her face.

"Because last time I tried to solve problems, I made everything even worse." Mido replied quietly, and then paused for a second. "But, you're right. Maybe it's time for me to smarten up and move on, I have to be more active, too. Heh heh, I can't drown in regret either."

"Wait, you made everything worse? When?" Vera asked, not recalling what Mido meant.

"Oh, long ago, long before you were here. I don't really want to talk about it." Mido replied.

"I've been honest and open with you, I've never lied to you, I've never lied to anyone, don't you think it's dishonest to leave things out?" Vera asked, almost demandingly, but was interesting in Mido's past.

"Alright." Mido said while lowering his head and shoulders, then looking at his fairy for a second with his freckled face, slightly blushing for a moment, and then putting his hands on his lap and looking back at Vera. "Well, long ago, there was a boy who had no fairy, and I made fun of him for it, I called him Mr. No Fairy. He was Link. I got into fights with him often, and one day, the Great Deku Tree back then summoned him, which irritated me. Then, the Great Deku Tree died afterwards, and I blamed him for it. Most of us blamed him, except for Saria, who always defended him, she was always nice to him. I don't really know what happened, but he disappeared, as did Saria seven years afterwards. I don't know what happened, but I am so sorry for what I did. I think Link and Saria ran away because of me." Mido continued, feeling like his chest was empty.

"Those two ran away? Like, for real?" Vera asked seriously, Mido nodded.

"I think so, but maybe they will return someday. I would be so happy if they did. I would wait forever to see them again one day... This is why you should not be harsh to other Kokiri, and like I said, if you keep a grudge, you will regret it for your entire life. It might take you many years before you start feeling regret, but when you do, you won't lose it, and it will stay with you, forever." Mido replied.

"If you say so. But like I said, I wanted to apologize, I wanted to try to be friends with Luna, but you have to realize she doesn't want to be like us. That's something we cannot change, Mido." Vera said firmly.

"Maybe we can't change Luna, but you can be changed, Vera. I want you to be nice more often, don't get mad at anyone, even if they are not being good for us. Just accept everyone for what they are, love them, and love yourself. The forest belongs to everyone, and the forest shares with everyone, and so we need to be like the forest. We can handle a few lazybones, just as a granary can handle a few mice." Mido explained.

"I get your point, but I am only nice to people who are worthy of respect, and Luna is not one of those kinds of people." Vera assured, Nina tilting to look at her, and Vera looked back at her fairy, but Vera obviously meant what she said.

"I see that you are stubborn, you won't change your mind. I will have to find some work for you and Luna to do together tomorrow, so that the two of you learn to get along." Mido said.

"You'll sooner get a rock to do work than Luna." Vera remarked crossing her arms, then noticing that Mido's fairy and Nina flew to him.

"Excuse me Mido, but I spoke with Kibou, Luna's fairy, and he told me to tell you some things. He knows a way to get Luna to stop running away." Nina said, and then looked at Vera, and then back at Mido.

"Oh? You should have spoken sooner! Let's hear it." Mido replied, looking up at Nina and eager to hear her speak.

"Basically, he wants everyone to leave Luna alone. He says she hates being around people, she wants to be alone. I think he thinks that, as long as Luna is left alone, she will not run away." Nina explained.

"Hunh? What a weird idea. I plan to wake up early in the morning and meet everyone, so that everyone treats her very nicely, so that she feels like she's part of us. I'm thinking that a play or festival in a few days will work." Mido remarked.

"I can go get Kibou, he knows more than all of us about Luna." Nina suggested.

"No, he should stay with her, to make sure she won't run off into the night or something. I think I've talked enough, though. Vera looks bored, so this is all for today. Thank you for talking to me, Vera, but if you ever hit anyone again, expect punishment." Mido warned, noticing that Vera held in a smile, probably wanting to say something smart, but Nina twinkled into her ear, and Vera said nothing. "See you later, Vera." Mido continued.

Vera then left the scene without saying anything, walking off as if she didn't care about anything. Nina followed Vera, and after Vera left the home, Nina looked back at Mido and his fairy.

"Maybe you can change her for the better." Mido said to Nina, and the blue fairy nodded and left, flying after Vera.


	12. Chapter 11 - Belong

**Chapter 11**

 **Belong...**

 _die Natur Weiss allein was sie will (Nature alone knows what her purpose is)_

 _\- Goethe_

The following morning, Luna awoke to the birds singing outside. She sat up, in her pyjamas, stretching with a yawn. She noticed Kibou still asleep beside her pillow, and left him be. She did not really hear anything going on outside, so she must be one of the very first to wake up for a change! She was about to get out of bed, but had second thoughts, and closed her eyes and flopped back down into bed, not realizing that the back of her head almost fell onto Kibou, who hopped out of the way on the last moment. Luna rolled over, facing the wall behind her, and covered herself.

A few hours later, Luna woke up again, rolling onto her back suddenly with a stern sleeping face, and instantly hearing Kibou muffling under her, so she immediately sat up, tossing her covers against the wall and seeing Kibou's black light emanating. He took flight and hovered after wobbling a bit, still a bit sleepy. Although tiny, fairies were quite resilient.

"Sorry for rolling over you." Luna apologized, lifting her shoulders and making a guilty smile.

"Oh I'm fine, you're pretty lithe anyways. Were you having a bad dream?" Kibou asked, stretching himself out a little.

"Dream? No, I don't dream. I never dream." Luna replied, her fairy nodding but saying nothing.

A little while later, the drapes of Luna's dwelling opened and she stepped out with Kibou, dressed in her Kokirish clothing, but no hat as usual. She took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of nature, which always woke her up. She exhaled and let her arms flop down, watching the busy little green creatures below.

"Luna, if you feel like staying home, or being alone somewhere, you can do that too, don't feel pressured, be free." Kibou said to her ear.

"Hm? Oh, ya, of course, but I've been thinking about what Vera said. I want to do something." Luna replied, surprising Kibou.

"Well, alrighty then." Kibou said, and Luna climbed down, Kibou floating along.

Reaching the ground, Luna walked forth, slowly, looking around, watching the others work, but always looking away when they looked back.

"Hi!" one of the girls happily greeted, Luna nodding at her and moving on, the girl watching her go.

"She's just shy." Kibou said to the girl as he flew passed her, the girl looking up at her yellow fairy for some reason, who said the same thing.

A little while later, a group of four Kokiri approached Luna eagerly, putting down their farming tools as they walked to her, their fairies following them.

"Hey Luna!" one of the boys greeted, so she stopped and looked at him and his friends.

"I saw you kick Vera's butt and she fell into the pond! That was so funny!" another boy said, and the group chuckled, as did Luna, albeit half-heartedly.

"And she didn't even do anything about it! You are very brave, Luna. Vera must be afraid of you!" a girl squealed, staring at Luna as if she were some hero.

"Oh, I am afraid of her, she had to go see Mido so that's why she didn't want to cause any more trouble." Luna corrected.

"Oh, yeah right! Vera is always a bully, she's avoiding you for a reason." another girl remarked.

"Vera is one of the Picti, the Picti are always aggressive, she works hard and has a hard attitude. We shouldn't talk behind her back." the girl's fairy said, a green male one.

"Well, but the other Picti are not so mean... But ya, backtalk isn't nice." the girl said to her green fairy.

"I think Vera deserved to fall in the pond, Luna did a good job." the previous boy who spoke remarked, Luna almost blushing, looking down and smiling.

"Yeah, Vera needs to be embarrassed, she needs to feel bad for making others feel bad." the other boy remarked in agreement.

A little crowd of Kokiri and their fairies formed, everyone curious to see Luna, who was now a kind of hero for them, a hero who defeated a villain everyone wanted to see brought down. They murmured about lonely Luna becoming so brave.

"Oh? Luna kicked Vera into the pond?" a boy asked aloud.

"Luna must be very brave to stand up against Vera!" a girl exclaimed.

"Hey, well done Luna!" a boy congratulated.

"She's the one who runs away a lot, right?" a girl asked.

As the compliments and questions juggled about, Luna was as surprised as she was uncomfortable. She had no idea what just happened, suddenly in the middle of a circle of fifty Kokiri or more. She really didn't want to be the centre of attention, and felt lost in the crowd. She looked down at the ground, wondering how to get out of this mess.

"Don't worry, this will all be over soon." Kibou comforted, noticing Luna's discomfort.

"Ohhh, I hate being around people..." Luna grumbled to herself, looking around at the happy faces for a second, and then looking down at the ground again.

But, after smiling and nodding here and there, eventually, Luna managed to free herself and walked through the crowd, the children watching her go, wondering why she left them.

"She just needs to be alone, she doesn't like attention." Kibou said to the crowd, and then went along with Luna. The crowd continued talking about Luna, overall positively.

Luna walked around, trying to find something to do, but every activity she saw, she didn't like. Other Kokiri frequently approached her, asking her if she needed any help, or wanted to do something with them, or purposed to teach her their crafts, but Luna always shook her head shyly and moved on. It seemed that Mido had awoken early in the morning to remind the Kokiri to be extra nice to Luna, but no matter how nicely they treated Luna, she just didn't feel like doing anything with them.

Luna found interest in target practice. She never threw axes, javelins or darts before, and would like to train with projectiles, but she was too shy to start. She noticed that Vera was nowhere in sight, at least for now. The albino Kokiri stopped at the well (the same one she went to the previous day), as this was one out of a few places intended to share food and water in one spot. Nearby was a stall with wooden cups, and she took one, filled it with water from the bucket over the well, and took a gulp. Several other children relaxed here with food and water in their hands, a few sitting on the grass, all chatting away and enjoying their break.

Luna would not go into the granary whenever a group of Kokiri were nearby, so she'd either wait them out, or come back later. She sat on the well and drank her water, one leg over the other. Mido then appeared, beckoning Luna, but she did not notice.

"Hey, Luna!" Mido called, walking to her, finally getting her attention while she drank, her eyes looking back at him over the rim of her cup. "I have something for you to do." Mido continued, Luna finishing her water.

"Hm? What?" Luna asked.

"I have a job for you to do." Mido said, Luna froze. "Well, coming?" he asked, and so Luna put her cup away and followed Mido somewhere.

They eventually reached a field of barley among oaks, and the oaks had grapevines spiralling up their trunks and hanging down their branches. The barley looked ready for harvesting, and a few scythes, rakes and whatnot leaned against a nearby oak, beside a pile of baskets. No one worked in this small field in the grove of oaks.

"We can get you to do something easy and simple. You have two tasks to do this morning. You will fill-up those baskets with grapes, and you will cut down enough grain to make a pile as big as yourself. Choose whichever you want to do first." Mido instructed.

"Wait, I'll be working by myself?" Luna asked, and Mido looked at Kibou, remembering the message Nina passed from Kibou to him.

"Yes, you'll be alone for your first two tasks, and when evening comes, I'll be back to give you another job, but I will have someone helping you. So see you later, and take your time, it's not a race." Mido said, and he took his leave, Mido's fairy and Kibou looking at each other for a second.

Luna stared at the field and then the baskets, wondering where to begin.

"Well Luna, looks like you got a job to do! I'll be helping you though, I'll pick grapes, and you can scythe. I think that's the most efficient plan." Kibou said, Luna looking up at him.

"Well, why don't you scythe and I pick grapes?" Luna joked, she and Kibou chuckling.

"If there was a tiny scythe fit for me, I would, one stalk of wheat at a time. Scything looks fun, but you know how to scythe, right?" Kibou asked.

"Yeah, I watched other Kokiri do it, I'm pretty sure I can to." Luna replied.

"Good, you just turn your body with the blade, and don't be afraid of the edge, you won't cut your feet with it." Kibou advised.

Luna grabbed a scythe and held it in her hands, right hand on the grip and left hand grasping the snath. The blade was thin and sharp, perfect for cutting the stalks of grain. She approached the barley and tilted herself, and swung away, the blade getting caught in the stalks and not cutting anything. Luna's second attempt did better, chopping into the stalks a bit higher up and the blade effortlessly swung through a dozen stalks.

As Luna scythed away, Kibou picked grapes, one at a time, flying up and down and piling the grapes into a basket below. Sometimes, he managed to rip a twig with a few to several grapes off, and he carried it into the basket. Kibou's job looked quite silly, but he was happy to help Luna in any way he could despite his little size and inefficient labour.

Kibou and Luna worked away, Luna moving the stalks into a pile as best she could, even forgetting about her timidity and not thinking about other people. Her mind was about work, and working only with Kibou seemed to keep her busy yet calm. They worked well together.

While swinging away, Luna felt her scythe get stuck amidst the stalks, so she moved it back and swung again, and again the scythe got stuck. She swung a third time, and the blade got caught in the ground. Irritated, Lune pulled the scythe back and swung as hard as she could, and unsurprisingly, the scythe cut through the stalks and continued revolving, causing Luna to twirl around, blade almost hitting Kibou as he flew to put a grape in the basket, and she fell to the ground like a drunken oaf. She immediately blushed, as several Kokiri with farming tools in the distance saw what happened and could not help but giggle at what they saw.

"I did that too a few days ago, we all go through that." a Kokiri girl remarked while laughing.

"Let the scythe do your work for you, let the weight and the swing do the cutting." a boy advised.

Luna ignored them. Keeping a mad face, she picked herself up to continue her work. The Kokiri who saw her fumble asked Luna if she needed any help, but she did not reply to them.

"We'll be alright, thanks." Kibou told them, and they nodded and left.

Eventually, Luna made a pile of barley as big as she was, crudely, her back and shoulders feeling a bit stiff. She then helped Kibou pick grapes, wondering how he felt.

"How are you feeling Kibou?" Luna asked.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking!" Kibou replied happily, body twinkling and ringing. He always loved it when Luna gave him attention or appreciation, and Luna nodded pleasantly as the two continued picking grapes.

Luna and Kibou filled the baskets with grapes by noon, finishing Luna's first two official tasks.

"Well, that was easier than I thought it'd be." Luna remarked, looking at the twelve baskets of grapes, which she placed side by side. She then noticed a butterfly fly by, staring up at it as it flew off, then felt stiffness and soreness in her back.

"Yeah, it really was easy. Guess you have some spare time until evening, Luna. What would you like to do?" Kibou asked.

"I think I'll go home and take a nap after all that work, but you can stay outside and do whatever you want." Luna replied.

"Go home? Can I go with you?" Kibou asked, still pondering if Luna would consider running away again or not.

"Ya, sure, that way you can wake me up in case I fall asleep." Luna replied with a smile, and the two left, not even thinking of Mido.

Later, Luna appeared in her bed for a snooze, and Kibou sat on the table. Luna left the curtain open, allowing light and wind to go inside. Although the Kokiri audibly worked away outside, the noise seemed to put Luna asleep. Kibou thought that perhaps, in her isolation, hearing distant chatter was all she needed to socialize. Kibou had nothing to do, but preferred boredom than risk Luna running away, so he just sat on the table, and sighed. Waiting for someone to wake up was not fun.

Evening came when it did, and Kibou woke Luna, chiming into her face. She opened her eyes but remained lying on her back.

"Awake? It's about evening, we better go find Mido before he gets upset. I forgot about him but just remembered." Kibou said. Indeed, amidst boredom and inactivity, it was still possible to forget important things.

"Yeah, you're right, I wonder what the next job will be!" Luna exclaimed, actually feeling excited, which made Kibou's heart warm.

Luna and her guardian fairy made their way back to the fields, most farming Kokiri by this time working slower or taking small breaks. No one greeted Luna or congratulated her for her triumph against Vera this time, as the other Kokiri were preoccupied with the day's work or their leisure. Mido and Luna noticed each other at the same time.

"Hi Mido, should we go back to the baskets or something?" Luna asked, not feeling as shy as she used to.

"I put them away already, actually. Are you ready for your next job?" Mido asked, Luna nodded.

"But Mido, Luna never ate anything since she got up this morning." Kibou butted in.

"Oh? Well, be sure to eat something, I'll be back in, like, a little while." Mido said, and he walked away.

Luna said nothing, but did look grateful. She was too hungry to be shy, and went to the granary, walking amidst other Kokiri, also taking a basket from a stall full of more baskets. She put a loaf of rye bread into the basket, as well as some fruits, berries and nuts. She stepped out, found a nice spot, and had a little picnic. She also got a cup of water from the well to drink, but stayed away from the other children.

"Do you want something?" Luna asked Kibou as she ate a strawberry.

"No thank you, fairies eat very little. I get most of my energy from the sun, our light-based auras absorb most of the energy we need." Kibou replied.

"Oh?" Luna exclaimed, but didn't know what to say.

Luna finished her meal, and Mido reappeared. She put her things away and followed him northward without either of them saying anything, heading towards the Lost Woods. They reached a large oak tree, and on the ground nearby the tree, was a wooden box, covered with a towel. A blue fairy appeared from the shrubbery, hovering near the box.

"Oh, hey Nina!" Kibou called, flying towards the blue fairy.

"Oh, hey Kibou!" Nina called back, the two meeting midair with sparkles flying out their auras.

"Hunh? Did you meet someone?" Nina's girl asked, stepping out the bushes, and noticing Mido and Luna. The two girls looked at each other sternly. Vera was not wearing her gloves today.

"Alright ladies, this is the job I have for you two!" Mido stated, Luna and Vera looking surprised.

"What? I have to work with her?" Luna asked, Mido nodded.

"Come here girls, I have to show you both something very important." Mido said, walking to the box, and the two girls went to Mido and his box. "This job will require you both to co-operate. I want the two of you to work together, and both of you will have to work together as a team to get this very important task done." he continued, both girls looking at the box and wondering what was inside.


	13. Chapter 12 - A Few Surprises

**Chapter 12**

 **A Few Surprises**

 _Character is habit of long duration._

 _\- Plutarch_

Mido lifted the towel off the top of the box, and sitting inside, were four owlets, sleepily staring back up at the Kokiri, one owlet letting off a squeak, and another making a chirp. The baby owls resembled little fuzz balls with big foreheads, tiny beaks, and large eyes. One of the baby owls yawned, beak opening, and the chick's head titling back.

"Baby owls!" Vera gasped softly, putting her hands on her face and blushing happily, redness emanating through her scarred, tattooed skin.

"Yup, baby owls." Nina remarked, one owlet staring at her.

Luna and Vera stared at the little birdies affectionately, but Vera looked like she was about to weep, clenching her hands against her cheeks. Luna smiled warmly, but did not get as big a reaction as Vera.

"There's a hole in this oak tree, and I've seen the same owl fly in and out of it. I'm certain that the baby owls come from this tree, but I don't know how they fell out of it. I think they tried to fly out but are just too young. So, it's your job to get them back in their nest." Mido said, looking up at the tree, and then looked to the side and noticed Vera stroking the baby owls' heads, the owlets extending themselves like cats to feel her hands.

The owlets had soft, silky feathers, gently tickling Vera's skin, and she was in love with them.

"Work together to bring them back to their home, I hope neither of you will fight." Mido remarked, noticing that Vera suddenly looked sad.

"I wish I could keep them... as pets." Vera said softly, not even thinking of Luna, an owlet taking a few steps back when seeing Kibou for a moment.

"They want to go home, so bring them home. I put a rope over there on the ground, I was thinking of throwing it over a branch, so that one of you tie the rope around your waist and someone else pulls on the rope, to lift the one holding the crate, and put the owls back in their tree." Mido suggested. "Alright, there you go, ladies. When you're done, you both can do whatever you want. Bye!" he continued, and walked away, his fairy following him as usual. The older fairies tended to be quiet most of the time for some reason, and sometimes changed colour.

Vera and Luna looked at each other at the same time, neither wanting to be with each other, but they both liked the owlets, and they both had to work together to bring them home. Vera took the rope and threw it over a strong branch, both ends hanging loosely near the ground.

"Looks like it's me who has to do the pulling, since I'm stronger and taller than you. OK, tie one end of the rope around yourself, you'll be holding the box, I'll pull the other end of the rope, to lift you, so that you can put the baby owls back in their home." Vera instructed, and that was done.

"See? You two can work together! Vera, I forgive you for hitting me, and I'm happy that you so willingly want to help Luna do what Mido wants to be done." Kibou said happily, bouncing about in the air.

"Ready?" Vera asked while shaking her head and rolling her eyes at Kibou, ignoring his words completely.

"Ready! Don't drop me!" Luna replied, box of owls in one arm, other hand on the rope, and one foot pressing against the trunk of the tree.

Vera pulled, and so up Luna went, walking up the side of the tree at the same time. Every time she passed a branch, she would grasp it with her free hand to pull herself, and then stand on the branch, to make things easier for Vera, occasionally looking at the tall vixen, just in case. The two girls occasionally exchanged mild glares.

"Would've been a better idea to have lots of people pulling this..." Vera grumbled to herself, and then Nina and Kibou grasped the rope in front of her to help in the pulling, though how much they helped was suspect to some doubt.

Luna looked down, perhaps twenty feet up so far, feeling a little worried. She looked up, seeing the side of the tree and its branches sticking out, the sun above its crown. She then looked at the owlets in the box, all of them looking afraid, one of them letting off a squeak. Luna felt her hands and forehead sweat.

"Don't you dare drop that box!" Vera warned, looking up nervously, eyes big and bright, breathing strongly but slowly. Luna just shook her head dismissively.

"She's careful, she'll do it." Kibou encouraged.

"She better." Vera commented, and for a moment, wondered if Kibou meant Luna would drop the box or succeed in the climb.

Up and up Luna went, about thirty feet high, and she neared the cavity in the tree. She noticed feathers inside the cavity, the same colour of the owlets, so they definitely belonged here. Down below, Vera started feeling the strain, and then an annoying wasp flew to her nose, buzzing in her face.

"Get out of here!" Vera quietly scolded, moving her face side to side, but the annoying bug kept irritating her. "Nina, scare this bug off!" Vera ordered.

"Eek! It's a wasp, it'll sting me!" Nina whined, shaking like a glowing leaf, and then flying behind Kibou.

"Uh, I'll try to scare him off." Kibou said, and he flew to it, trying to swat it away, hearing the insect's buzzing wings. He failed to scare the wasp away, and she kept pestering Vera, who blew at the thing, trying to make it go away.

"Do something!" Vera cried with closed eyes, the wasp now landing on her collarbone and crawling around, making Vera feel very uncomfortable and awkward in such an inconvenient situation.

Kibou flew forth and kicked the wasp, causing the wasp to raise her wings, but she remained on Vera's shirt, stinger sliding in and out. Kibou felt nervous, but he got an idea, and produced some sparkles, grabbing one and throwing it at the wasp, in hopes that the light would scare it off. The wasp flinched, rotating with its little black legs, and Kibou threw another sparkle of black light at it, and then another, and the wasp flew off Vera much to her relief.

"Just a little more!" Luna called from above, and Vera and the two fairies continued pulling the rope.

Luna reached the hole, placing both feet on the bark, and then pressed the box against the tree so that her chest also pressed against it, keeping it in place. She then gently grabbed one owlet from beneath it, feeling its talons hook onto her hands, the fuzzy bird flicking his wings a few times. Luna lifted him and put him into the hole, and the little owl walked around in it and made himself comfortable, cleaning his feathers with his beak. Luna smiled, and then placed the second owlet into the hole, then a third. Luna felt the rope nudge, causing her to gasp, both hands slapping onto the sides of the box, the last baby owl inside jumping.

"Ohhh! That wasp is back! Kibou, do something!" Vera snapped, losing some grip on the rope, and so Luna fell about two feet, scraping her knees and shins against the bark, hands grasping the box, and she looked down angrily.

"What's going on down there?" Luna shouted angrily, inhaling sharply at the pain in her legs, which bled a little.

"A bug is bugging me!" Vera whined in response, Nina flying off to hide behind a tree. Luna shook her head.

"Stupid girl." Luna grumbled quietly.

Kibou flew around, chasing the wasp, but the annoying tiny creature flew faster than he and continued buzzing in Vera's face and ears. Vera felt the insect land on the back of her neck and crawl down her shirt.

"Uh oh." Kibou exclaimed, Vera lifting her shoulders and putting her knees together. Fortunately, the wasp reappeared, crawling up her neck. Immediately, Kibou flew into the wasp, knocking it off Vera, Nina noticing and reappearing, and then seeing the wasp fly towards Kibou.

"Gahh! Get away from me!" Kibou cried as the wasp buzzed after him, stinger ready. The two flew about wildly, Kibou's body making weird high-pitched shimmering noises, Nina flying upwards to stay out of the way.

"Fly, Kibou! Fly!" Nina cried.

Kibou punched the wasp in the head midair, dazing it for at least a second, and then he flew off. The wasp then buzzed at Nina, who shrieked and flew backwards, trying to evade the bug. She could not outpace the bug, so spun around and grabbed both its antennae and pushed it away from her, wasp's mouth parts opening and closing repeatedly, clicking against each other. Then, the wasp curved its body inward and tried to sting Nina, but she moved her lower body back to avoid the stinger.

Kibou tackled into the wasp's back, ramming himself into its wings and stopping their movement, and instantly the wasp plummeted with Kibou on top, Nina letting go of its antennae. Much larger than the insect, Kibou's weight brought the wasp down to the ground, amidst the blades of grass. Kibou, having arms, regained himself first and climbed out of the grass as quickly as possible, stomping at the bug's face as he climbed, hearing and feeling the wasp's wings vibrating behind him. A fairy fending off a wasp would be like a human wrestling with a hornet the size of a wolf, so Kibou and Nina were obviously afraid of the insect. Kibou regained flight, and the wasp climbed up the grass and spread her wings, then flew with the wind.

"OK, I think it's going away." Kibou remarked, watching the wasp fly away.

"Well? Are you going to lift me up or what?" Luna called from above.

"This is getting pretty heavy!" Vera complained, but she lifted Luna slightly, and then the wasp returned, landing on Vera's neck and then crawling down her shirt, causing her to lift her shoulders and freeze. "Nina! Help!" Vera pleaded, looking at her blue fairy.

"I'm allergic to bee stings, I can't risk dying!" Nina whined, so Vera looked around for Kibou.

"It's a wasp, not a bee." Luna corrected from above.

"Well, still!" Nina cried.

"Kibou! Do something!" Vera pleaded, looking at Kibou with a pair of puppy dog eyes.

"Uh, I can't just go down your shirt, I'm a guy." Kibou remarked.

"I don't care! Do something or I'll hit you again!" Vera shrieked.

Hesitating, Kibou hovered before Vera, wondering what to do, hearing her breathe like a panicking baby. The only option was to literally go down her shirt and fetch that annoying wasp.

"Please forgive me." Kibou said, feeling his face getting hot.

"I won't forgive you if that thing stings me!" Vera threatened, and then made an angry face, "Get this wasp out of me!" she howled like a baby wolf.

"OK! OK! Stay still, I guess!" Kibou shouted, and then nervously looked at Vera's shirt, seeing the wasp behind the cloth moving around.

Luna looked down, wondering what took so long. She wasn't high enough to reach the cavity in the oak, hearing the owlet in the box walk and cheep, and the three others standing together in the hole and looking out. Well, when Luna looked down, she saw Kibou snuggle into Vera's shirt. Luna raised an eyebrow, now really wondering what was going on!

Kibou uncomfortably made his way down to the wasp, kicking it down with both feet, stomping it repeatedly in the head and eyes, and it quickly lost grip with its legs and fell down. Kibou fell, too, pushing the wasp at the same time, hoping it wouldn't bite his hands, and within a second the fairy and wasp fell out beneath the bottom of Vera's shirt, both immediately taking flight. The wasp attacked Kibou, who grabbed it by its pincers, holding them apart, and headbutted the wasp in the face repeatedly, but the insect's exoskeleton was quite tough. The two flew about, trying to outmanoeuvre one another, but Kibou's much larger wings made him the stronger flyer.

Suddenly, Vera backhanded the wasp as hard as she could, nearly hitting Kibou who had to spin out of the way, Vera's knuckles slapping against the pesky insect and it plummeted to the grass. However, now that she only held the rope with one hand, Luna's weight was too much, and Vera felt the rope sliding out her hand. Luna fell a few feet before Vera could grasp the rope with both hands, Luna's boots sliding against the bark, and Vera sliding along the ground before coming to a halt, and Luna had then landed on a branch, both knees bent to keep balance.

"Vera! What the heck are you doing!" Luna yelled, and Vera looked up at her angrily.

"You're not the one holding the rope!" Vera shouted back.

"Just shut up and lift me, then!" Luna ordered, causing Vera's grip to tighten until her knuckles became white. Vera heard the wasp buzzing beside her ear, causing her to flinch and almost lose grip of the rope, and Kibou flew to the wasp to do something.

"Nnyahh!" Nina exclaimed, throwing a tiny rock at the wasp, nearly hitting Kibou who flew out of the way, and the little rock bounced off the wasp's head, and the wasp flew off dazed.

"Nice throw, Nina!" Kibou complimented.

Vera and the two fairies watched the wasp fly away, and this time, it seemed to go off for good. After a few seconds, Vera pulled the rope, her shoulders feeling stiff and sore. Nina and Kibou helped pull the rope as much as they could.

"About damn time." Luna remarked, Vera shaking her head.

Very soon, Luna reached the hole, pushing the box with her chest against the tree. Both hands free, she gently cupped her hands beneath the last owlet, feeling it bite her with its tiny beak, but it didn't hurt. Luna put the last baby owl back into its home, the four owlets cuddling together and staring at Luna as if they wanted food. She smiled at them, petting their heads and tickling their bellies, hearing them hoot and squeak gently.

"Are they back in their nest?" Vera called, Luna then remembering about the situation.

"Yes! You can let me go down now." Luna called back, and so Vera loosened her grip, putting one hand behind the other repeatedly to lower Luna, their fairies helping.

After Luna descended over halfway down, Vera looked like she couldn't hold on much longer, hands and shoulders hot with pain, hands red and aching.

"Come on, I haven't got all day!" Luna whined, so Vera looked up at her with a scowl, and then let go of the rope intentionally, the two fairies unable to hold on and let go instantly.

Luna fell perhaps fifteen feet and hit the ground, heels first and then landing on her bottom, box bouncing off her lap and rolling over. The pain caused Luna to grimace, tilting her head back, eyes squinting, and opening her mouth, but she remained silent.

"Vera!" Nina squeaked, Kibou flying to Luna to see if she was alright.

"What? Luna is a selfish little prick!" Vera complained, looking at her red palms, obviously in pain. She looked at Kibou with her angry feline-like face, and he at her, and they both thought about when she backhanded him.

Luna picked herself up, also in pain, massaging her back, and quite angry at Vera, both girls looking at each other scornfully. Then, they heard a chirp. The girls and fairies looked up at the same time, noticing the four owlets with their head peeped out the cavity. The owlets' appearance somewhat calmed the situation with their cuteness.

"Well, at least we put the baby owls back in their nest." Kibou remarked.

"I did most of the work." Vera stated, and then walked away angrily, probably upset that no one thanked her efforts, but maybe she did not deserve to hear it. Nina looked at Vera, then at Kibou, and flew after Vera.

"Bye, Nina." Kibou called, watching Nina fly away, and then looked at Luna, who stared back at him, and then checked on the owlets again.

"Yeah, at least we got them home." Luna remarked, rubbing her bottom and then untying the rope at her waist, leaving it over the branch.

"Maybe we should bring the rope and box back to the village?" Kibou proposed.

"Mido brought them here, he can get them back." Luna replied with a little heat, as she was still obviously cranky from pain, and Kibou would leave it at that.

In the distance, Luna and Kibou overhead buzzing echoing. It sounded like a swarm of insects were fast approaching, and then, several by several, wasps began to appear.

"Uh oh, looks like that wasp brought some friends!" Kibou exclaimed, and instantly the two moved as fast as possible!

Soon, Kibou and Luna reached Vera and Nina.

"Run! Go! Wasps!" Kibou cried as Luna and he went passed Vera and Nina.

Vera turned around to see what was going on, hearing the buzzing critters, beholding a swarm of wasps flying through the forest, and she too ran, Nina flying after her. The wasps could fly quite quickly, the two Kokiri girls covering their heads as they ran, their long hair trailing behind them, the wasps freely giving them that unpleasant sensation of wings vibrating behind their ears.

"If you sting me, I'll kill you!" Vera warned.

The girls ran, panting, rushing through or betwixt bushes, shrubs, trees and flowers, leaves and branches hitting their faces as they ran, fearing the wasps more. Neither girl believed that they ever ran so fast in their lives!

Running as fast as possible, sometimes jumping or skipping over rocks, logs or thorny shrubs, and worse, feeling wasps writhing in their hair, the girls squealed in fright. Upon hearing Vera screech, Luna stopped squealing and looked at Vera. Luna had never heard someone scream like that tall girl! Vera's long legs allowed her to run faster than Luna, and Vera soon outpaced Luna, Vera trampling over a Deku Baba that just happened to be in the way. Luna jumped over the Deku Baba, the Deku Baba lunging after her, but upon feeling the wasps buzzing about, quickly retracted back in the ground. At least Vera lost breath and stopped squealing in terror.

The horde of evil wasps seemed to gradually lose track of the girls, perhaps even the insects unable to see the Kokiri beyond several feet? Luna tripped over nothing, losing her footing on flat ground somehow, and she lost balance and fell. She immediately picked herself up, seeing Kibou fending off several wasps as best he can, and then he gasped aloud, flying around like crazy for a second.

Luna got up and continued running away without thinking about her fairy, Kibou following her after dodging the wasps. Vera and Luna swatted the wasps too close to them, and soon, they reached the village, and the swarm of wasps were gone. Two dozen or so Kokiri dropped their tools and ran to Luna and Vera, both girls sweating and panting.

"What happened?" a girl and a boy asked at the same time, and following that was a murmur of concern.

"Freakin' wasps! Thousands of them!" Vera grunted, flowing her hands through her hair to make sure no wasps were inside. The Kokiri looked at the forest, hoping that no wasps came, and once they heard them, the children ran away, not caring about their work anymore!

After a minute or so of running, all the children and fairies seemed to have escaped the wasps, the fairies flying around frantically and squeaking various words of caution. The wasps gradually flew back into the forest.

Luna sighed with relief, face red, and she actually looked thrilled for a while. She liked the excitement, it made her feel alive, and even better that she didn't get stung! The other Kokiri talked about the wasps, but Luna did not care when they asked her if she was alright. Luna walked away, her guardian fairy following her after being beside Nina for a few seconds. Vera stayed with the children, catching her breath, feeling better to be around other people, but said nothing.

Luna made her way home, climbed up the tree, and decided to go to bed earlier than usual, a little shaken by the day's recent event. Even though she did not work hard, she felt tired from so much running, and sat on her bed, taking her boots off. What a day that finally came to an end, but Luna felt uneasy, and looked at Kibou.

"Is something wrong?" she asked him.

"I'm alright, you just get some sleep." Kibou replied, tilting his body forward, and Luna nodded, just glad she didn't have to worry about wasps anymore.

Kibou wobbled down upon a pillow, and presuming he was tired after the rush of adrenaline, Luna left him alone.

"Buzz, buzz." Luna commented, she and Kibou chuckling at that. Now, she just wanted to sleep, and get the wasps out of her mind.


	14. Chapter 13 - Whispers of Affection

**Chapter 13**

 **Whispers of Affection**

 _labor ipse voluptas (work itself is a pleasure)_

 _\- Manilius_

The following dawn came, and Luna awoke, but remained lying in bed anyways. She slept much more than usual, and now, probably woke up too early for her liking. She lied in bed for maybe an hour or two, sometimes stretching, yawning, rubbing her face, just enjoying being lazy. She pondered about the past few days, and so much happened in so little time. She recalled playing with the Wolfoses, Kibou finding her, finding the peach tree, going back home, Vera hitting her, Elmo giving her bread the next day, doing work, putting the owlets back in their nest, fleeing the wasps, and now, here she was.

Luna thought about herself, having a solemn reflection, but unsure of what it meant to her. Was this life? She made a low sigh, lowering her gaze and furrowing her eyebrows, and pausing like that for a few silent seconds. She didn't want to admit it, but she did not want to be here. She didn't want to live in the Kokiri Forest, it was her home, but her home felt like a prison. The unpleasant memory of Vera striking her, and then Vera letting go of the rope, made Luna feel weak and shaky for a few seconds. She turned her head to the side, feeling her cheek press against the pillow, wondering where Kibou was, only seeing his black light.

The albino sat up, stretching and yawning, one arm extended and the other bent, and she noticed Kibou sitting on the bed near her feet. Normally, he'd be flying around, but he just sat there, wings still, and Luna had a feeling something was wrong.

"Something wrong, Kibou?" Luna asked, sitting cross-legged and leaning over her guardian fairy.

"Um, yes, I think I got stung a few times yesterday by the wasps. I was so scared I forgot to change into an intangible form and then whiz into your head. I can't move very well and I can't fly, I feel stiff and puffy." Kibou replied with a slightly muffled voice. After a short hesitation, Luna cupped her hands under him and picked him up, holding him close to her collarbone, tilting her head over him and closing her eyes tightly.

"Kibou, what happened? Why didn't you say so yesterday? We need to get you ointment or something, you're so tiny compared to us, stings can really hurt a fairy." Luna said sadly, Kibou feeling her palms squishing him.

"OK, yes, just stop squishing me!" Kibou squeaked, wriggling between Luna's hands, so she loosened her grip and set him down.

"Sorry! Uh, I'll get dressed, and then go running for ointment or something, there has to be something for you." Luna said desperately, feeling guilty for just lying in bed and wasting time.

Luna soon got dressed, tied her boots, and walked through the entrance, pushing aside the curtain but not tying it open, Kibou hopping off the mattress as if to take flight, but his body was too swollen for his wings to operate effectively, and he just landed on the floor like a soggy thing. His wings tilted down sadly.

Luna walked around looking for help, but was too shy to ask random kids. Some Kokiri were only just waking up, dozens climbing down their trees to begin the day. After swallowing up enough courage, she went to the nearest group of people getting ready to do farming work, and they eagerly awaited her, even their fairies brightening up. Their friendliness made Luna feel better, and she did not even notice she tightened her hands into fists, looking down upon them, and let her fingers relax.

"Hi Luna! Need something?" one of the girls asked, looking above Luna's head and noticing Kibou wasn't with her.

"Yeah, my fairy was stung by wasps, he's really hurt, I need something to heal him." Luna replied, the group looking at her worriedly.

"Did you try crushing garlic and putting the juice on the stings?" a boy asked.

"No, I don't know what to do. I was thinking of getting an ointment or something." Luna replied.

"I think crushing onion and putting the juice on the sting mark is better than garlic, but onions make your eyes water." a girl remarked.

"OK, so just garlic or onion, squish it, and use the juices as an ointment?" Luna asked, and the children who told her their suggestions nodded.

"Pink fairies can heal wounds too, though I have not seen any flying around lately." the previous girl said.

"Can pink fairies heal other fairies? I thought they can only heal people?" a boy inquired as if to himself.

"What? I dunno?" the girl who spoke previously admitted, and at that, the kids wondered if pink fairies could use their magic to heal other fairies, but surely, there was no reason why they could not?

"Well, whatever... In the meantime, I guess your best option is garlic and onion drops, they'll at least help take a little discomfort away." a boy said.

"Only put a little bit at a time, though." a girl suggested, so Luna nodded, and then jogged to the granary without saying anything and ignored everything in her way.

Once Luna passed a few kids here and there, she reached the granary, opened the door, and jumped in, looking for garlic or onions. She found onions easily enough, in a sack, but not any garlic. She took a yellow onion, still having its bulb and leaves attached, reminding her on the Deku Scrub. She went to the well, getting a wooden cup of water, and then ran back home as fast as she could, other Kokiri who just left their homes wondering what her hurry was. A few asked why she was running but Luna paid them no attention, a few times nearly dropping her cup and spilling a little.

Once reaching the tree that held her home, she put the onion down for now since it did not fit in her pockets. Luna bit the rim of the wooden cup to hold it with her teeth, and she climbed up to her dwelling, spilling a little water a few times, getting her shirt a bit wet. Once standing on the branch, she held the cup in one hand and entered her home. She put the cup on the table, seeing Kibou sitting on the bed.

"I'll be right back, I left an onion outside." Luna said, walking across the flooring and tying the curtain to the side.

Once outside, she climbed down as quickly as she could, intertwining ropes shaking. She got her onion, biting the leafy end to hold it in her teeth, and climbed back up. While climbing, she sneezed, and the movement made her onion fall out her mouth, but she caught it with her hand, nearly losing balance and almost falling off the ropes. Making a surprised expression for a second, Luna then bit the stalk again, tightly, tasting the leaves again. She soon reached her dwelling, opening her mouth and letting her onion drop into her hands, and put it on the table.

"OK, I was told that onion and garlic helps heal stings. I couldn't find any garlic, but I have an onion. I also brought a cup of water for you to wash yourself." Luna said, hearing Kibou jingle once in confirmation.

Luna took the cup and a plate to her bed, putting the plate on a rather flat spot on the bed, and then placing the cup on the plate. Kibou leaned into the cup, drinking some water by using his hands, and then rinsing his stings, trying anything to just relieve some pain and irritation.

Luna went to the table and peeled the skin off the onion, and then cut a third off the side, feeling the aroma burn her eyes. She winced and leaned away for a few seconds, but upon hearing Kibou splashing the water, felt obligated to get this job done. She put the smaller side of the onion into a bowl and cut it up, and then mashed it with the bottom of a cup, hearing the white flesh crack and squish. Immediately, the scent of onion flowed into her eyes and she cried. She could not ignore it for more than a few seconds, and she could not help herself and spun around, rubbing her face.

"Don't rub your eyes! You touched an onion!" Kibou muffled, but Luna didn't feel too much of a sting at first.

"I'll do this outside." Luna remarked, eyes painfully watery, taking the bowl and cup and going outside, kneeling at the entrance and squishing the onion again.

The breeze high in the trees somewhat helped blow the aroma away, but not by much, and Luna had to rear her head back and tilt her face to avoid as much of the stinging invisible vegetable evil as possible. She continued working, not doing much other than crushing the slices of onion, but at least there was a little bit of juice extracted. She went back to her dwelling and approached Kibou.

"OK, I guess we'll put a few drops of the onion juice onto your stings. Well, you will, because I can't see them." Luna said, sitting on the bed beside Kibou.

"Onion juice to heal my stings?" Kibou asked.

"Yeah, they told me to use onions or garlics, but I didn't find any garlics." Luna replied. Kibou shrugged, and Luna put the bowl down beside him, grabbing a ring of onion and intending to clean Kibou with it.

"No, wait!" Kibou cried with a muffle, Luna attempting to apply the onion onto him, but he wiggled out of the way.

"Hold still, I have to heal you! Don't be scared, it's good for you!" Luna whined like a mother trying to give her child medicine, wanting to grab Kibou, but he was quite quick and danced away.

"I can do it myself! Don't grab me, you'll just squeeze my stings and hurt me!" Kibou squeaked, jumping away, wings flapping midair, and he took refuge behind a raised section of blanket, and then he peeped his head over it. Luna huffed. "I'll apply the onion on myself by myself, please, I can do it." he continued, and Luna relaxed, putting the bit of onion into the cup, and then placing her hands on her lap.

Kibou got up and walked to the bowl, leaning over it, Luna tilting the bowl so that the little amount of juice pooled to the side. Kibou put his waist over the rim of the bowl and leaned into it, cupping his hands and filling them with a drop of onion juice. He went back to his feet and rubbed the onion juice onto his stings, jerking a bit.

"Owy, it stings and itches... guhhh, my eyes are more sore now!" Kibou whined.

"Don't give up, it's better than nothing." Luna encouraged, tilting over Kibou to check on him. "How many times did you get stung?"

"A few spots, on the back of the neck, chest, and shoulders. Those stings hurt so much. For you, it'd be like giant needles poking in and out of you." Kibou replied.

Luna looked very sorry and shed a few tears, not from the onion, but from sadness. She wiped her face with her sleeve. That surprised Kibou, it was rare to see Luna cry, but then again, the onions probably helped.

"Aw, don't cry Luna, it makes me want to cry, too." Kibou said, and Luna made an uneasy chuckle, looking away, noticing a few small birds fly across her entrance. Luna made a loose, lumpy smile, unable to hold the tears back, feeling useless amidst Kibou's suffering.

Kibou applied the onion juice onto his stings, feeling uncomfortable, and he wasn't even sure if the vegetable's liquid did anything. He grabbed a little chunk of onion to use like a bar of soap, getting off the rim of the bowl and then rubbing his stings with the piece of onion. Luna watched Kibou, hoping that the onion would work.

"I'm guessing it'll take a while, I don't feel any different." Kibou remarked, voice still a little muffled, suggesting a swollen mouth.

"Yeah, it'll take a while, I guess. Maybe go to sleep, I can go outside if you'd like to be alone." Luna proposed, and then Kibou wondered if Luna would now consider running away again, as now would be the best opportunity.

"Uh, I don't know." Kibou mumbled, and continued rubbing himself with the bit of onion.

"Need help?" Luna asked.

"No thanks, I'm fine." the black fairy replied, wondering what would happen if Luna had managed to grab him and rub onion on him. Luna was only trying to be good for him, she cared about him as much as he did for her, just in different ways.

Luna put a hand to her mouth and watched Kibou attentively, as if expecting the vegetable to heal him instantly. She watched his radiating aura, a light so strong his bodily form could not be seen clearly, and she wondered what caused that light. Perhaps the fairies had skin that resonated light?

Kibou never realized how much affection Luna had for him. Most Kokiri had a limited relationship with their guardian fairy, which was usually just a companion to give advice or serve as a bright thing that flies around, offer company, and simply be a friend. He recalled how hard he tried to find her last time she ran away, and the many times before that, and now, he began to reconsider Luna's actions. After all, she never ran away so much he could not find her, and either he was really good at finding her, or she never truly wanted to disappear. He wanted to ask Luna about that someday.

"Hey Luna?" Kibou called, putting the bit of onion into the bowl.

"Yeah?"

"Never mind." he replied quickly, putting his hands on the bowl.

"What did you want to say?" Luna asked nicely.

"If the onion still made you cry, but I think it wore off." Kibou replied.

"That's not it, you had something in mind. What was it?" Luna asked, curious.

"I don't want to talk about it now, I'll ask you later, after I'm healed." Kibou replied, and Luna nodded after a second.

"Well then, I'll have to remember that. Should I get you anything else?" Luna asked.

"No I'm fine, you do whatever you want." Kibou replied.

"I can stay with you, if you want." Luna suggested.

"I don't mind." Kibou assured.

"Well, do you want me to stay or not? I don't mind either way." Luna said.

"Hm, alright, how about you go outside, I'll sleep here alone?" Kibou proposed, so Luna nodded.

"Yeah, see you later, love you!" Luna exclaimed happily, gently patting Kibou on the head, and then she left. Kibou always felt himself melt whenever Luna said she loved him, but then he wondered if she really did.


	15. Chapter 14 - Kibou's Recovery

**Chapter 14**

 **Kibou's Recovery**

 _It is foolish indeed to spend one's life in this world between dreams, doing things one doesn't enjoy, observing the suffering._

 _\- Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure_

As Kibou recovered boringly, Luna could not bring herself to work, and she instead walked off towards the Lost Woods to kill time, explore, and feel free within the wilderness. This time, however, her anxiety caused her to pace back and forth, or walk around randomly, passing through shrubs and plants aimlessly. She did work a few times of course, such as helping cut wheat or barley, pick fruit from trees, forage berries or mushrooms, and such simple tasks, never reacting to those who thanked her. She repeated menial work for the next three days, ignoring everyone, even Elmo, who tried a few times to cheer her up with presents, but Luna remained a ghost.

Luna returned home every night to check on Kibou, bringing back herbs and flowers for him, trying anything that would potentially speed his healing and make him happier. Soon, her dwelling was full of herbs and flowers.

Kibou's friends, especially Nina, came once in a while to see him, not needing Luna's permission to come into her house, as she already said she didn't mind company over when she was gone. Kibou's fairy friends informed him of the things going on, such as the Kokiri's activities and Luna's behaviour. They would chat about various topics. Chloe, Arvo, Patty, Kayk, and Foa (the pink fairies friends with Kibou) enjoyed to be in Luna's home, it smelled very nice with so many natural goodies everywhere. At times, they felt like they owned the dwelling. Kibou's friends, being pink fairies and so having healing powers, may have also helped heal Kibou, but could fairies could heal other fairies? It did not seem to be the case, even after the Pink Fairies spiralled around Kibou to heal him.

"...Well, we saw Luna at the Lost Woods again. She usually walks around there before going home, but sometimes she just stays out there all night." Arvo commented, hovering beside a jug of roses. He found them to be very pretty, but never knew where roses grew, which were hard to find in the wild.

"At least she's happy, I think. She probably can't bear the thought that I'm so sick and wounded, but thank you for your help, too." Kibou said, his voice still muffled. He was just sitting on the bed with the fairies hovering nearby, but Nina sat beside him.

"I guess so. Anyways, Mido is planning a festival, he wants a celebration dedicated to Luna. I told him what you told me, but I think he doesn't agree with it." Nina said, turning to face Kibou.

"Oh? Uh, I hope the attention makes her feel welcome, but she doesn't like attention, she likes to be left alone. Too bad I still can't fly, my body still feels so swollen. I'd go to Mido myself and tell him, but I have a feeling he wouldn't listen anyways." Kibou remarked.

"He can be stubborn at times, but maybe your idea is wrong, and his idea will work?" Nina asked.

"I don't know, maybe. Maybe you are right, maybe Mido's festival is the best thing to do. Maybe I was wrong this whole time, Luna did ask me why I was so stubborn once." Kibou replied, thinking about the little argument when he found Luna last time, when she was with the Wolfoses.

"I think Luna is doing pretty good, she does a little work and does a lot of walking, she does what she likes and works at the same time. I think she'll gradually develop a sense of belonging doing that." Kayk remarked, and the fairies nodded to that. They chatted about nothing for the rest of the night.

"I hope you're feeling better." Luna remarked one sunset as she put some flowers in a jug of water on the table. Kibou's fairy friends were gone for now.

"Better." Kibou confirmed, his muffled voice gone.

"Can you fly?" Luna asked, then looked out the doorway to see the setting set.

"A little."

"Oh? OK, I'll go now. It's evening but I still want to go for a walk. See you soon, love you." Luna remarked, her words making Kibou blush, and she left to go for a walk, but she did not return home that night.

Kibou waited all night alone, a little worried, but he knew Luna did not run away.

Throughout the village of Kokiri Forest, children here and there talked about the festival while working.

"Did you hear? Mido planned a festival!" a Kokiri boy exclaimed while haying with a rather big pitchfork, his green fairy floating nearby.

"What? No one told me." a black-haired girl mumbled while scything away, her purple fairy sneezing for some reason and flying back a few inches from it.

Elsewhere, a small group of children, a few boys and a few girls, were making baskets as quickly as they could while sitting in the shade of trees, occasionally sipping water from wooden cups, which they then placed upon a stool nearby.

"I can't wait for the festival! I wanna get everything done early to get ready for it." a redhead boy stated eagerly, his hat falling over his eyes for some reason, so he lifted his head quickly to raise it, but it then fell over his eyes again. His yellow fairy swooped by, holding it up for him.

"I heard Mido was planning it for a quite a while, but that he was keeping it secret." a short blonde girl remarked, finishing a pretty little basket.

"I think he only told a few people about it, probably the older Kokiri, so that less people got distracted from work." a chubby boy commented.

"Really?" the blonde girl asked.

"I dunno." the chubby boy replied.

"Don't worry, let's just finish a bunch of baskets!" a blue fairy remarked, the chubby boy's, and at that, the kids just focused on their work.

Mido indeed had planned a festival for some time, probably thinking about Luna for so long and gradually taking action. A sudden celebration in mind was what children loved, and once word spread, more and more Kokiri worked away making masks both bright and fantastic, costumes of every colour, musical instruments of many shapes and sizes, decorations, and so on. No one told Luna about it, and she did notice the activity, but did not pay much attention. She would never expect that the festival would be about her, and the Kokiri's willingness to make her feel as one of them was not even an afterthought for her. For Luna, the Kokiri were just a bunch of happy and busy children, two traits she did not have, and she didn't care.

That day, everything began to feel unreal for Luna. She could not work, and simply walked around the village aimlessly. Every face she saw looked like a sheet of paper, the Kokiri were like wooden puppets, the sky appeared to be colour wiped from a painter's brush, and the sun was just a yellow light in the sky. She did not talk to people as usual, losing interest in everything, and would only nod with a smile every time a Kokiri asked her what was wrong, and they figured Luna just wanted to be left alone.

"I think Kibou, her fairy, got stung and is sick, so she probably doesn't feel like talking." a boy said to his friends, this group of children picking various fruit at an orchard Luna happened to walk by. "I hope Kibou gets well soon!" he continued as Luna walked passed him as if he did not exist.

"Bye-bye Luna, see you later." a girl said softly as the albino walked away.

Luna headed home with an empty expression on her face. Kibou's misfortune had a very strong impact on her, and she even felt guilty about it. She climbed her tree to go home by sunset, and just as she stepped through the entrance, Kibou flew around her and appeared in front of her face.

"I'm back!" Kibou stated proud and loud, Luna staring at him with her big pink eyes, pausing for a few seconds, and then she lowered her face, eyes still looking up at him, and smiled.

"Oh, Kibou, you waited for me to surprise me? Good to see you back to normal again." Luna said with relief, her shoulders and back feeling light and loose all of a sudden.

Kibou hovered with a jingle, then shimmered in the air, and Luna just stood motionlessly. She suddenly embraced the black fairy, squeezing herself together, feeling the warm light emanate into her body. She also felt Kibou wriggle.

"Luna, you're squishing me again." Kibou muffled casually, and Luna loosened herself, but still held her fairy with both hands. She held him close to her face, rubbing her nose against him in a fit of childish joy, her eyes closed but face beaming red.

"Stop that you snivelling little weasel!" Kibou cried, laughing at the tickling Luna's affection gave him.

"So, what are you two lovebirds up to?" Nina asked, giggling, suddenly materializing out of nowhere with Foa, Arvo, Patty, Kayk and Chloe.

"N-Nina? Oh, uh, hi guys!" Kibou exclaimed, wiggling out of Luna's grasp, feeling embarrassed at the thought that other fairies saw what just happened.

Luna turned around, seeing Nina and the five pink fairies hovering. Luna smiled at them, showing some teeth, also feeling a little embarrassed by her little outburst of joy. She was glad no other Kokiri saw her snuggle with Kibou, or maybe some did? All they had to do was look up, though Luna did not notice anyone looking up. But, at least Kibou was back to normal, or at least healed enough to fly on his own.

"Well, glad to see you're feeling good now!" Foa exclaimed happily, ringing with glee.

"I'm good enough to fly, but I still feel sore." Kibou admitted.

"As honest as always." Patty commented.

"I don't want to be rude, but can I steal Kibou for a while? I want to run around with him now that he's better." Luna butted in shyly, looking down and putting her hands behind herself.

"Oh yeah, sure, you two deserve to be together now! Sorry for getting in the way." Nina said.

"Actually, how about we all go together somewhere? The sun is setting, we don't have much time left." Luna said, suddenly changing her mind, and the fairies nodded.

"OK, let's go." Arvo said, and off they went.

Luna jogged towards the Lost Woods, the seven fairies close behind her. They didn't go very far, just far enough to disappear from the village, reaching a field of dandelions and lavender growing amidst leafy trees. As usual, the trees were quite huge, stretching for a few to several dozen metres or so. The dandelions and grasses were thick and tall, almost reaching Luna's shoulders. Bees and other insects buzzed to and fro among the dandelions and lavender, finishing the last of their work for the day. Luna liked to wave her hands over the flowers, feeling nature and its beauty, and watching the bugs flying around, feeling a big fat bee buzz by her ear, which made her smile. Luna did not seem to be afraid of bees, but a swarm of wasps was another story.

The setting sun cast a reddish sky, clouds absorbing the roseate hue. This was the reason she wanted to be alive, to enjoy nature, and be free. Luna said nothing, just enjoying the sunset and sitting in the grasses and flowers, head at the same level as the height of the vegetation, and the seven fairies sitting on large dandelions nearby.

"What a pretty thing a sunset is, this is always my favourite sight to look at. I can watch this forever. It's so magical, it's perfect." Luna remarked, not taking her eyes off the sunset behind the canopy, every breath inhaling the aroma of lavender, feeling the scent flush her insides.

"Yeah, I like sunsets too. Reminds me of the day, and helps me get ready for the next." Nina said.

"I think I like full moons more, maybe because I'm from the wild." Chloe remarked, a breeze gently swaying the dandelions the fairies sat on, the fairies angling their wings to keep balance.

"Full moons are beautiful, too." Luna agreed, and quite appropriately too, considering the meaning of her name. "Just staring out at the sun and the moon... they are so mysterious. I always wondered where they come from, where they go, why they move through the sky, how many things they must move over."

Kibou thought about when he tried to fly up to the sun so long ago, but he also thought of what Luna just said. Could it be that this whole time, wanderlust made her run away so many times? Well, he certainly did not want that subject to unfold, so he kept quiet, as did the other fairies, and they just watched the sunset. Luna had her elbows on her thighs, and cheeks on her palms, looking like she'd fall asleep in that position.

"Um, Luna? Maybe we should go home now?" Kibou whispered, hovering beside Luna, who lifted her head and rubbed her eyes.

Luna didn't say anything, obviously sleepy, she put a hand on the ground to pick herself up, and looked around sleepily.

"Well, guess that's that for today. I better get home before Vera worries about me. See you tomorrow!" Nina exclaimed, hopping off her dandelion, she and Kibou looking at each other, saying goodbye, and then she took her leave.

"Guess we'll get going too, then! Bye!" Patty said, and then she and the other pink fairies flew away one by one, Kibou bidding them farewell.

Luna got up and made her way homeward, thinking of going to bed. She suddenly looked very unhappy, but Kibou did not say anything about it. He followed her home silently.


	16. Chapter 15 - The Mask

**Chapter 15**

 **The Mask**

 _T_ _he sun and the moon are not eclipsed on account of anyone's death or on account of anyone's birth._

 _\- Hadith, Book 3, Sunan Abi Dawud 1191_

Life coasted along like a dream for Luna, and she did not know how much time passed. A week? A month? Three months? No, just a day passed, and it felt like forever. Unlike yesterday, where she was very happy and full of enjoyment, she was now depressed and empty, just lying in bed, staring at the ceiling blankly. She did not know when activities became mundane, when people got boring, when waking up felt like a chore, when going to bed made her upset, but she felt a longing to be free.

Luna just lied in bed, silently and motionlessly, and reflected about herself, and that gave her melancholy. Luna was miserable, and Kibou did not know what to do, feeling heartbroken. He just watched Luna lying on her back, breathing slowly and softly, frowning, eyebrows furrowed, yet her pink eyes exhibited sadness. Kibou felt worried to try and make Luna feel better, but he hoped that Vera, someday, would make amends with the albino. Although, now that he thought about it, he had not seen Vera since Luna and she put the owlets in their nest. He wondered where Vera went? Probably out hunting.

The day began with some work, easy stuff like raking leaves and moving baskets, but Luna ignored everyone even when they called her or asked her what was wrong. After the slight work, Luna went for a stroll through the woods, with very little memory of what exactly happened that day. When life flows like a dream, there is no reason to remember anything.

Contrary to what her fairy may have been thinking, Luna really did care about Kibou, talking to him occasionally by commenting about trees and animals as if she was talking to herself, pretending to be glad, trying to hide her true feelings from him, but Kibou saw through that. She did not want him to see her so empty inside, especially in daylight, where it was easily noticed, but he did anyways, and said nothing. He simply floated along with Luna as she aimlessly strolled around the forest, sometimes rolling forth unexpectedly, both overhearing the echoing calls of crows and larks, the voice of adventure, for sure.

"I never knew she could roll like that..." Kibou whispered to himself. Luna was quite flexible and agile, capable of quickly leaning forwards and rolling over her shoulders, as if snapping herself forwards.

During her dreamy escape, Luna rolled over her shoulders here and there, and all of a sudden ended up back at the village outskirts. She stood straight up and looked around, hoping that no one saw her.

"I didn't know you could roll like that." a Kokiri girl commented, then continued picking grapes.

Even as the day got busier, Luna ignored other Kokiri as usual, but did resort to smiling and nodding to them sometimes, the easiest way to get them to stop trying to get her attention. Luna soon headed to the granary to have something to eat, noticing Kokiri here and there making costumes and such for the coming festival. They looked happy and eager about it.

"Hey, Luna! Excited for the festival?" one of the boys asked her once she walked by, she stopping and looking at him, a few other Kokiri looking at her to see what her reaction would be, but she only stared at him blankly.

"No." Luna answered plainly, a little surprised.

"Why? What's wrong?" a girl asked, putting her mask down, which was a chunk of wood she was carving into a skull shape.

"Nothing." Luna replied with a shrug, wondering what that question meant.

"Do you have a costume? If you don't, there's always someone who can make one for you. Axel is making lots, he can make one just for you, I bet! He's in the shop right now." another boy said, his fairy nodding and chiming like a bell as fairies sometimes did.

"I think you should go see him for one of those, it'll be fun." Kibou suggested.

"I dunno, we'll see." Luna mumbled, but she did eye the girl's skull-like mask, interested in it, and then walked into the granary, getting a little bread and fruits.

"I think you really should go see Axel. Who knows, maybe you'll love the festival!" Kibou encouraged.

"Maybe. I like masks, I think they're cool." Luna commented as if she did not care about anything. So, Kibou decided to stop talking, let Luna's thoughts brew silently, for he knew that pestering Luna about something too much was a sure way for her to not do that something.

After eating, Luna walked across the fields and then over the bridge leading from the cliff to the village, going down to the lower section of Kokiri Forest, and made her way towards the shop. She saw various Kokiri walking about along the dirt paths excitedly. The store was down below at the giant tree stump homes, nearby the pond and its tiny stream, just before the cliff near the entrance to the Lost Woods. The Kokiri Shop was peculiar in having a small, brownish-orange projecting platform above the entrance, about four feet wide and long, but the arching branches overhead camouflaged it. Luna walked across the tiny stream and approached the entrance of the shop.

"Hey, Luna!" someone giggled aloud, causing Luna to flinch. On the platform sat a Kokiri girl sitting on the thin projecting platform above the doorway of the shop, a blonde girl wearing a headband, sleeveless shirt, and shorts, all green, sitting with her legs crossed. She looked like a friendly, happy person. "Look this way!"

"Oh, hi." Luna replied as she looked up. The blondie's fairy flew down to greet Kibou.

"Hey there! I haven't seen you for quite a while! Let me guess, you're going into the shop for a mask or costume? Axel likes making them, he does it for fun, he'll have something for you, or make a new one for you." the girl continued, so Luna nodded and entered the shop.

Inside was open and flat, with an immense counter on the other end of the room, almost as wide as the interior, but with a space to the right between the end of the counter and the wall, and in this space was a wardrobe filled with costumes. Inside the wardrobe rummaged a Kokiri boy. Hanging on the right wall were many, many masks of varying shapes and colours. Behind the counter was a shorter-than-average redhead boy, the shopkeeper, who had to jump up with his palms against the counter to look over it to see who came in.

"Welcome!" the shopkeeper greeted, but Luna ignored him, instead looking at the features of the store.

Pushed to the right along the front of the counter, towards the empty space, was a stump, over a foot wide but sawed down to perhaps a dozen inches high, perhaps placed there to allow the rather short shopkeeper to walk over the counter. At the left side of the place were various pots, stacked logs, sacks of things, and generic workshop tools. Behind the stall were shelves filled with various supplies, hunting gear, war gear, tools, shields, and so on.

The Kokiri boy rummaging in the wardrobe went out of it, now holding a few things, and then took his seat on the short stump, and began painting a long wooden mask white, finishing the last few spots at the edge. This was surely Axel, and he wore shorts, short-sleeved shirt, shoes, and a Phrygian cap, all attire various shades of green. He had black hair and dark brown eyes. This child was peculiar, in that he had very, very long pointy ears, much longer than other Kokiri. His fairy had a yellow aura.

Luna looked to the left, and nearby stood a girl, very similar in attire and appearance to the girl outside, perhaps a sister. She spoke to a few other Kokiri boys about this and that, not even noticing Luna, or not caring. What were they talking about?

"Most of the things you buy here you can get for free in the forest." she remarked to her friends.

"Yeah, but outsiders who come to shop here don't know that. Maybe for the best, they could get lost in the Lost Woods! I heard that some Kokiri even travel beyond the forest to trade with the grown-ups and other creatures." a boy said, Luna having expected he would say it was best for outsiders not to know that wares could be found for free in the woods, so that they could purchase the things here.

"Travel beyond the forest? Those who do, die, y' know!" another boy exclaimed.

"I don't believe that. I even heard that, a long time ago, every Kokiri here left the forest to celebrate something at some place." the previous boy who spoke said.

"Yeah, that's true! I was there, Mido just doesn't want us to talk about it, so that no one tries to leave and never come back, because it's dangerous. Mido told me that it's more dangerous now than ever before, lots of bad people out there." the girl admitted.

"Oh, really? What else can you tell us?" a boy asked, the boys suddenly interested.

"Oh, not here, not now, maybe during the festival. I can get in trouble talking about the past, especially about back then." the girl replied, looking down in some guilt, then the kids murmured about the festival and costumes.

Axel lifted his head, hearing Luna's footfall as she shyly approached him, "Oh, hello Luna, I didn't see you there! Nice to see that your fairy is healthy again, too, I heard he got attacked by bugs or something." he greeted. Axel slid his paintbrush in-between his ear and head.

"Yeah, wasps." Kibou and Luna said at the same time, the two looking at each other briefly.

"Wasps! I hate those things." Axel's yellow fairy remarked, she obviously uncomfortable and shaking midair for a second.

"Heh, Taria is really scared of wasps. She was stung by them herself a few years ago, poor thing. Took her two weeks to heal. Why is it that you can't find a healing pink fairy when you need one?" Axel said, looking up at is fairy, and then looked at Luna. "Oh, right... I've been making this just for you Luna. Here, take it." Axel continued, and passed Luna the mask he held.

The mask was large, round and white, somewhat resembling the face of a moon, shaped rather like a Venetian mask and looking more creepy than cute. It even had white lips, and openings for the eyes shaped to resemble craters, black around the edges but the darkness decreasing outwards. The gesso (also applied to the inside of the mask to make it more comfortable to wear) gave it a creamy, shiny tinge. Overall, the mask had an evenly convex shape, the nose and lips the only features going against the mask's smoothness.

"Oh? Thanks Axel, this is really cool." Luna thanked, surprised, holding the mask with both hands and staring at it, and the mask staring back, as if displeased with her. She gave the mask a weird look.

"You're welcome! I tried to do something different just for you. I kinda made a mistake, I wanted to make it shaped more like a face, but it didn't work, so I then decided to make it look like the moon. I'm also making a costume for you, a gown like the night sky, but I'm not done it yet. I'm sure you'll love it!" Axel said, but Luna did not seem to notice.

"Why does it look so creepy?" Luna asked, raising the mask, mesmerized by it, both white faces blank and unhappy.

"Well, some people like their masks to be scary, or cute, or evil, or weird. I didn't know what you liked, so I just started working and hoped for the best. I'm glad you like it, I was worried that you wouldn't like it. You can also paint it if you want to give it more colours for the carnival." Axel suggested.

"I guess so. When does the carnival start, anyway?" Luna asked, lowering the mask until she could see Axel.

"Tomorrow night actually, I might not even be able to finish your dress. That's why I'm working in the shop, buying everything I need right away, to get everything done as fast as possible. I really hope I can finish your costume, I also have three more to do." Axel said, a little worried.

"How about you give me the unfinished dress, then? I can do the rest, you've done so much with the mask anyways." Luna purposed, overhearing several Kokiri enter the shop and murmur in the background with the shopkeeper, girl and other boys, Axel looking at them.

"You sure?" Axel asked looking back at Luna, she nodded.

Axel stood up, walking to the overflowing wardrobe, wrestling with the hanging garments, and then pulling out a black gown with the sleeves and upper third having bronze, iron, and painted wooden studs to mimic stars. He held it by the shoulders, revealing that the gown was long, loose-fitting and quite pretty, made of dark blue velvet, so dark it almost looked black.

"Oh wow, that's beautiful." Luna complimented, and Axel smiled, folding it up and putting it over Luna's arm.

"I helped make it, too. We fairies with our tiny hands are really useful working on dense fabrics, or knitting in tiny spots." Axel's yellow fairy, Taria, chirped in, not wanting to be left out.

"Well done then, it looks wonderful." Kibou said to her.

"Yeah, this is great, thank you so much Axel." Luna thanked without much emotion, mask in one hand, gown in the other arm, definitely interested in these cool things, yet not really knowing how to react.

"Actually, maybe I should help you carry those things to your home?" Axel asked, but Luna was too shy to have other children over for company, her face slightly blushing.

"Um, no." she replied with a small smile, hoping her blush was not showing too much through her white skin, but no one seemed to care.

"Are you sure?" Axel asked, Luna nodded with a blank face. "You are stubborn!" Axel commented in good humour, making Luna smile again, both almost chuckling.

"I'll go home, put these in a safe place. Thanks again very much, Axel, see you at the carnival." she said quickly, and then headed out the shop, almost bumping into the other Kokiri. Kibou was about to follow her, but stopped, and turned around.

"Thanks Axel, Taria, I think you really helped in cheering her up!" Kibou said, Taria and Axel nodding, and then Kibou followed Luna home.


	17. Chapter 16 - Before the Carnival

**Chapter 16**

 **Before the Carnival**

 _As a girl, I fled the world to walk the way she walked, and closed myself into her habit, pledged to her sisterhood till my last day._

 _\- Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy, The Paradiso, Canto III_

The following day, the Kokiri mostly worked on their last touches to their costumes, not doing as much work as they should be, too excited about the carnival as children would be. Luna remained in her home, mask and gown on the table, but she didn't really do much to them, preferring to leave them as they were. As usual for her mornings, Luna just lied in bed, on her back, feeling lazy.

"Nervous?" Kibou asked, who hovered nearby.

"Yeah." Luna replied honestly.

"Oh? Well, you'll be wearing a costume, Luna. No one will know who you are, it's supposed to be like that. Just have fun, be mysterious." Kibou said.

"I know, but still, I've never been to a carnival before." Luna said worriedly.

"I thought it was a festival?" he thought.

"Carnival, festival, whatever." she remarked.

"You don't have to attend the entire thing, you can just be there for an hour or two and then go home." Kibou suggested.

"Yeah, I was just thinking of that. Well, I better get up, and go do something." Luna said, and she did that.

A little while later, Luna walked to the granary for breakfast, not feeling shy anymore, rather comfortable amidst other people. After having breakfast with a small group of other Kokiri, even chatting to them about the carnival somewhat absentmindedly, she walked towards home, but then wandered into the Lost Woods. Kibou followed her restlessly, but she kept quiet, walking slowly and calmly.

"Do you know why I come here?" Luna asked suddenly as she walked through a giant hollow log stuck in a wall of rock, leading to other immense hollow logs piercing formations of rock, perhaps ruins from long ago.

"Because it calms you down?" Kibou replied.

"I dunno, maybe." Luna remarked, surprising Kibou a little.

"You don't know why you come here so often?" he asked.

"No, I don't, but I like wandering, I like exploring, it makes me feel free and, well, makes me feel good about myself. I just like to be alone." Luna replied, making her way into another hollow log, and halfway through the dark interior, she unexpectedly bumped into someone else.

"Aw-owf!" Luna and the other person exclaimed as they walked into each other, both falling onto their bottoms at the same time.

The other person turned out to be another Kokiri girl, who had a fairy with a white aura that became greener towards the rim. Both girls picked themselves up, their fairies wondering what just happened. How did neither girl notice one another? Well, the Kokiri girl Luna bumped into had blonde hair and blue eyes, wore a green sleeveless shirt, short green dress, belt, and tall brown boots. She had a peculiar hairstyle, in that her hair was bunched into two immense volumes of hair down the sides that passed her shoulders. She also wore a green headband near the back of the head.

"Sorry, didn't see you." Luna apologized, getting up.

"Sorry, didn't see you either, heh heh heh!" the other girl said, getting up, but she looked happy.

"I didn't expect to meet anyone out here." Luna remarked.

"Me to, that's why I come here often, hee! Wait, I've seen you wandering out here before, at least a few times. You must be very brave to wander all the way out here! Ha!" the girl exclaimed excitedly.

"Uh, I've even left the entire forest many times." Luna mumbled.

"Oh? Well, you are a real woman! Ha! I also wander beyond the Kokiri Forest and the Lost Woods, sometimes. Did you know that whoever gets lost in these woods become a Stalfos?" the girl asked eagerly.

"Hunh?" Luna exclaimed.

"Stalfos, they are the undead. Anyone who is not a Kokiri, who enters these woods, become Stalfos, undead, living skeletons. That's what they get, hee hee! Children who get lost become Skull Kids. I've always wanted to see it happen, but never did, I wonder how it happens? Ha ha! It'd be so cool to watch someone become undead! I only almost saw it happen once, but the young punk scurried off! Teeee! H-h-hee hee hee!" the girl continued with an evil, creepy face.

"Hm, I recall meeting a few Skull Kids some days ago." Kibou remarked.

"Yes! They are children who became lost, and transformed into Skull Kids! I wonder how it happens, hee hee!" the creepy girl squealed gleefully.

"I think they become lost and then, unable to survive, eventually die. But the forest, or the spirits of the forest, brings them back to life as undead." Kibou remarked.

"Is that good or bad?" Luna asked, looking at Kibou, but he didn't know what to say and just shrugged.

"Not bad for us. We Kokiri never get lost! Only outsiders become lost!" the girl exclaimed happily, followed by her giggling.

"Why are you always laughing?" Luna asked, a little irritated, and the blonde girl's face instantly became emotionless.

"I don't know. I've tried to get lost many times, but it never happened. It is getting rather boring. But, I am excited for the carnival! My costume will make me look like a Skull Kid, I think I'll go visit the Know-It-All Brothers and try to scare them, see if they can see through my disguise. Ha ha!" the girl said, looking forward to that.

"Alright, I think I'll be going home now." Luna said, the other girl nodding, and Luna took her leave.

"Oh, wait!" the blonde girl called, Luna stopping and turning around, watching the girl running after her. "Can I go with you? We are likeminded gals, we should get to know each other. I've never met another Kokiri as brave as you for a very, very long time!"

"Oh? OK, yeah sure." Luna replied, and the two girls headed home together, their fairies following close behind.

Kibou was happy to see that Luna may have made a friend, and these two girls had similar character!

"What's your name, anyways?" the blonde girl asked as they walked.

"Luna."

"That's a very pretty name, it means moon, right? I'm Fado, by the way. I've been around for a long time, it's very nice meeting you, I don't think I've ever met another Kokiri who is so much like me!" the blonde girl said, giggling afterwards, genuinely a very glad person who loved to be happy no matter the situation.

The two girls and their fairies went along casually, but Fado wondered why Luna didn't talk.

"You don't talk much, hunh Luna? You remind me of that boy I knew a long time ago, but I forgot his name. I'll probably remember pretty soon, hee hee. He was like me, blonde-haired and blue-eyed, but he was also like you, didn't talk much. I wonder what happened to him." Fado remarked, thinking about that boy, putting a finger on her chin and looking up, pondering to herself.

"Yeah, she's the quiet type." Kibou confirmed.

"So was the boy." Fado's fairy remarked.

"Ha! The quiet ones are usually the most interesting!" Fado exclaimed, Luna smiling a little, and the quiet walk commenced, only singing birds, gentle wind, and rustling vegetation, branches and foliage to be heard.

Luna did not really want to say anything, but she looked happy to be with this blonde girl, whose green fairy did not speak much, either. They walked on and on, going through hollow logs, looking at insects, other fairies and pixies, flowers, trees, boulders, or anything else that looked interesting. They soon reached a hollowed log that led out of the configuration of rock formations, and then they headed to the upper levels of the Kokiri Forest, where the bird nest-like dwellings sat in the trees. Luna and Fado said their goodbyes and parted ways for the day.

"Fado, did you know that Kibou, Luna's fairy, was friends with Navi?" Fado's fairy asked.

"Oh? Speaking of her, I wonder if I'll ever see Navi again." Fado replied.

"I hope so. It would also be so nice to see Saria and her fairy again, too." Fado's fairy commented.

"Yeah, them too. I feel bad for not believing Saria all those years ago, only she defended Link when the last Great Deku Tree died. I wish I could have told her I believed her before she left. Maybe, one day, I will see them again."


	18. Chapter 17 - Moonlight

_(chapter 17 dialogue for Luna helped by Luna-of-Black-Roses)_

 **Chapter 17**

 **Moonlight**

 _Whether one passes on or remains is all the same._

 _That you can take no one with you is the only difference._

 _Ah, how pleasant! Two_ awakenings _and one sleep._

 _This dream of a fleeing world! The roseate hues of early dawn!_

 _\- death poem of Tokugawa Ieyasu, 1542-1616_

When nightfall came, the carnival began. The Kokiri wore their costumes and masks, and varied greatly in appearance. Their masks could resemble the faces of animals, Deku Scrubs, skulls, leaves, fruit, or some other design anywhere from spooky and grotesque to cute and funny. The Kokiri also made a bonfire near the entrance of Kokiri Village, some sitting by the bonfire and playing various musical instruments, such as flutes, drums and fiddles, playing them polyphonically, just to make noise and have fun.

Arranged nearby were baskets filled with goodies, such as berries and fruits, normal and dried, as well as nuts, cakes, cookies, cupcakes, jams, and so on. Although children, the Kokiri even had a few barrels filled with beer or wine mixed with water (to lessen the effects of alcohol), the barrels having spouts to fill wooden cups.

Almost all Kokiri enjoyed themselves by the bonfire, eating, drinking, chatting, stargazing, playing music, or simply enjoying the sight of others' masks and costumes. Of course, those who wore full-faced masks had to lift them to eat or drink, often doing so with their backs to the fire, to keep their faces hidden.

Even the guards, hunters and the Picti partook in this festival, though as everyone wore costumes, no one really knew who was who. Even the guardian fairies sometimes lost track of who their companion was! Fairies and children often played guessing games on the disguised Kokiri, trying to find out who was who. One of the Kokiri wore a costume consisting of many overlapping Deku nut halves, making him look like a walking pile of nuts. His mask was an entire giant Deku nut with carved eye sights and mouth.

The bonfire burned powerfully and brightly, smoke and embers saluting the starry night sky, and the presence of hundreds of fairies, both guardians and wild, created a plethora of radiating colours hovering all around the bonfire.

Even some Skull Kids made an appearance, sitting amidst the Kokiri and playing flutes. Amongst the Skull Kids were Gödel, the blondie, and the three other Skull Kids who appeared earlier, all wearing their masks, of course.

As a reminder, out of the five Skull Kids who appeared earlier, three were boys, and two were girls. Gödel had curly red hair put into a ponytail, and he wore the top half of a human skull as a mask; another boy and girl wore the same kind of mask. The blondie, who had long pale blonde hair, wore a giant bird's beak over the nose and mouth, as did another boy. The five Skull Kids played the song of the Lost Woods.

Shortly later, two more Skull Kids appeared with short flutes, dressed in similar attire as the others but more yellowish, and wearing Skull Masks. The Skull Mask was a kind of mask made of bone, with large eye sockets, a broad and tall forehead, only having the upper teeth and no lower jaw, and two horn-like protrusions with flat tips. The Kokiri did not mind the company of the undead children, who were, to some extent, also folk of the forest.

Gödel sneezed whilst playing his flute, his hat tilting over his mask when his head moved. He sniffled and looked up, seeing a bat fly across the sight of the moon, watching it go until it disappeared into the darkness.

Feeling safe and hidden in plain sight, Luna sat close to the bonfire, cross-legged, wearing her costume and mask, smelling the scent of fire, smoke and burning hardwood. Her long white hair matched her mask, trailing down her black gown like weeping moonlight. She gazed at the flames, her mask reflecting the flickering lights, and she liked the fire, but not much else. Luna could not see Kibou anywhere, who probably flew off to be with Nina and his friends. He needed his own life, too.

Luna then noticed Vera, who did not wear a costume, instead having applied more woad into her skin some time ago, and sitting diagonally across from her. Vera drank perhaps too much, but at least she looked loose and happy sipping away from her wooden mug of wine, saying incoherent, random things to nearby Kokiri, drowned out to the music and murmur of the carnival.

"...well, like, yeah! Why not? That's why I said it! Ha!" Vera mumbled to a boy wearing a Goron Mask, putting her hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

Luna could not help but think about a few days ago, when Vera hit her. This was something Luna could not let go, but at the same time, she thought about how she and Vera worked together to save the owlets, only for Vera to let go of the rope and so allow Luna to plummet. Luna wanted to get even, but not when Vera was drunk, and not during a festival. Luna sighed through her mask, having a feeling that she'd never get even with Vera.

The Kokiri would party all night, but not Luna. She got up and went to get some goodies, lifting her mask over her forehead a little. She ate a little here and there, as did several other Kokiri. Luna took a wooden cup, filled it with beer, and drank a little.

"H-heee! How's the party?" a girl asked, so Luna lowered her mug of beer and looked to the side, seeing Fado, who wore a Skull Kid costume and mask, actually resembling a Skull Kid in the dark. Like Luna, Fado had lifted her Skull Mask up.

"Uh, good." Luna replied plainly, taking a swag from her frothy, fruity beer. She liked beer.

"Hah-hah! Good! I think I drank too much wine, my tummy feels hot and full, but who cares! Hee hee!" Fado exclaimed, sipping from her mug and then stuffing her face with a cupcake, Luna nodded to her with a small smile, and then walked away before Fado could be any more annoying.

Luna's dark blue gown easily blended with the shadows, but not her hair. Luna just wanted to be alone for now, and Kibou reappeared, apparently materializing in front of her. His black aura really worked well into the night, for obvious reasons.

"How is everything?" Kibou asked.

"I think I drank too much beer." Luna replied, putting a hand on her mask's forehead for a moment.

"Ohh? Heh, well, try drinking lots of water. I hope you're enjoying the festival!" Kibou said.

"I am." Luna confirmed, and Kibou jingled with joy. "I'll be seeing Axel again at the store, I want to thank him again for his beautiful present!" she continued happily, and Kibou flew off with Nina, who called him for some reason.

"Hey Kibou, I'm so glad you're b-b-b-better n-n-now. I just w-w-w-w-w-wanted to say sorry for what Vera did to you-oo-ooo and to l-l-l-l-l-l-Luna, I was so scared and shocked when she hit you, and I cried so m-m-much w-w-w-when I heard you got stung by w-w-w-w-wasps." Nina wheezed and stammered, almost crying, trying not to stutter but it just erupted, and she shamefully put her tiny hands over her face, trying to stifle the tears.

Nina had simply felt a sudden emotional outburst, which surprised Kibou, considering Nina had not acted like this before. But, Kibou knew Nina enough to note that she usually felt emotional distress sometimes days after something bad happened. He never knew why, she was just like that.

"Oh, please don't cry, you'll make me cry." Kibou comforted, hovering close to Nina and gently grabbing her forearms, and softly resting his forehead on hers. Nina tilted over, holding Kibou's hands, her aura making a sad, high-pitched, descending whir.

"Mm, yuh-huh-h fnn, fnn, uhmm!" Nina exclaimed, trying to say something, but only shook with teardrops.

"I'm much larger and stronger than most other fairies, I wasn't hurt that much, just stunned. I'm fine now, we're all better." Kibou whispered in the emotional fairy's ear while hugging her slowly.

"Sorry, I just, I just, ohhh! I just feel much worse after bad things happen. I just think of you and everything feels horrible." Nina said slowly, turning her head side to side, feeling her forehead rub against his.

"I know! Just breathe, slowly and deeply, before you pop like a bubble." Kibou warned, causing Nina to giggle, her aura forming sparks to rain down for a second.

The two just hovered there in the air in each others' arms, amidst the festival of children and fairies. They tightened their embrace, Kibou noticing that Nina stopped shaking. The poor thing must have felt great guilt in having to look after a child that nearly killed her best fairy-friend. But, Kibou had a heart of fire, a fire of compassion, and it was always burning.

Luna headed towards the Kokiri Shop, and entered it, but no one was inside. She took her costume off, hanging up the gown in the wardrobe to the side, and then she placed the mask on the floor so that it leaned against the wall. She found a paintbrush and a little gesso, which she used to paint a smiling face on the moon mask.

The albino then left the store, and walked across the bridge to go to the higher level of the forest, up to the bird nest-like homes amidst the trees. She went back home, climbing her tree, and sat on the giant branch leading to her dwelling. She stared at the bonfire far away down below, hearing the laughter, music and playing. Everyone was so happy, and Luna listened to the children laughing and playing. She just stared at the carnival, left arm across her lap, right elbow on the back of her left hand, and resting her cheek on her right hand, legs dangling loosely.

After several seconds of watching, Luna put her hand down against the bark and got up, and went into her dwelling. She took a metal knife and went back outside, carving a shape into the bark of the branch a few feet after the entrance to her home towards the tip. It was too dark to see what she carved, but she eventually finished, and then stabbed the knife into the wood with some anger. She looked upon what she had done.

Luna climbed down the tree, breathing with short quick breaths, already feeling warm teardrops leaking down her cheeks and the sides of her nose. She felt afraid, legs and arms shaky, and lost grip, falling a few feet and landing on the ground, but she fell onto her bottom like a useless baby. She sat for a few seconds, crying, so she wiped her face with her overly long sleeves, and got up, walking northward. She soon started running, feeling her heart thumping against her ribs, feeling the cold night air chilling her throat and teeth, feeling herself losing control, feeling her mind become absent of all thoughts, and feeling herself transform into something wild and free.

Luna did not know how fast she ran, or how far she went, but she soon could not hear the festival. She could not hear anything, even as a majestic owl hooted. She could not see anything, everything was like a dream, nothing looked real. For her, everything resembled a smeared array of dark colours and shadows, and only the moonlight guided her. Luna's eyes locked onto the moonlight glowing above the canopy and beaming down through the forest, and she simply wanted to chase it, to grab it, to feel it, to become it.

Luna ran on and on, feeling bushes, twigs and branches slap across her face, flick into her skin, and pull on her clothes, as if the forest did not want to let her go, but she rejected its affection, she abandoned everything and wanted to escape everything she knew. Everything that was familiar to her was a curse.

Suddenly, in a mere twinkling, the moonlight utterly vanished, and Luna dropped to her knees and hands, face plunging into the grassy earth, the little blades prickling her face, her hair drooping over her head, as if the arrival of dusk sapped her strength. She felt surprised to notice she barely broke a sweat, but felt tired.

With neither the moon nor the sun in the sky, Luna breathed hard, inhaling the cold, raw scent of dirt, clutching the ground with her hands, and pressing her knees and elbows into the earth. She then lifted herself slightly, but lost strength, and face-planted the earth, and again inhaled the breath of the ground. She paused for a few seconds, and tried to get up again, elbows shaking, but she stopped to rest a little more. Breathing in and out rather quickly, white breath visible, she yet again attempted to get up, but was breathing enough, and ran out of breath. Luna decided to wait a little more. Finally losing patience, she sprang up but remained on both knees, staring up at the silhouetted trees with angry visages in their bark beneath. She could see her breath, white and warm, watching it rise and dissipate.

After a few seconds, Luna overheard footfall. Alone in the middle of nowhere, she expected danger, and held her breath, eyes widening cautiously. She slowly stood to her feet, hearing bushes rustle and low branches shake.

Luna turned around, watching as the shaking vegetation moved closer and closer to her, the tree trunks and bushes having strange, twisted faces amidst gnarly, hateful shadows. Soon, whoever followed her appeared out of the shrubs, and stopped, staring at Luna silently, and a pause came. It was none other than fat Elmo, covered in sweat, panting heavily. He made a big exhale and wiped his brow. He didn't wear a costume, but did wear a red scarf for whatever stupid reason. As usual, his guardian fairy was nowhere in sight.

"What are you doing here?" Luna demanded, eyes wide and vicious, voice echoing, gritting her teeth and clenching her hands while slightly leaning forward angrily.

"Oh, uh, I saw you run, so I followed you, to see what was wrong, that's it!" Elmo replied, still panting and trying to catch his breath, but felt intimidated from Luna's behaviour. Luna said nothing for a few seconds, but continued glaring at Elmo. "I ran after you b-b-be-because I thought Vera hit you or something bad happened. I kept calling your name, but you didn't hear me I guess." Elmo continued once he caught his breath.

"Why did you follow me? Why can't everyone just keep themselves to themselves? Why can't everyone just leave me alone? Why are you even here?" Luna complained, turning to the side whilst lifting her shoulders and clenching her fists for a moment, as if looking for something to punch.

Luna's eyes started darting around randomly at those strange faces of twisted bark and foliage, though she only saw those angry things, not Elmo, who wondered what Luna was staring at, and saw nothing remarkable. Luna was not afraid, but provoked by those shadowy visages of evil, those evil plants, that hateful vegetation, the stupid shadows; everything was an enemy. Slowly turning her head to look back at Elmo, Luna's eyes were revealed to be bloodshot under the moonlight, and her right eyelid twitched for a second. She looked away angrily, just staring off to the side hatefully.

"I only ran after you be-be-b-because I thought you w-w-w-were hurt! I-I-I-I thought something b-b-bad happened!" Elmo exclaimed upon noticing Luna's ferocious look, trying not to stammer, but it came out, and Luna did not even look at him.

"I am hurt! I am hurt by people like you who can't mind their own business! I want to be free, not get stalked by a, a, a-" Luna said, looking at Elmo and wondering what to say, somewhat distracted by his red scarf, "a fat boy running through the forest!" she finished, the vein at her left temple throbbing. Her words hurt Elmo, who did not know what to do or say, just looking down at the ground, defeated.

"But, but, b-b-but, I th-th-th-thought you w-w-w-were happy! You l-l-looked so happy!" Elmo stated nervously.

"No!" Luna shouted, taking a step forwards and leaning slightly, scowling, furrowing her white eyebrows, clenching her fists, and the veins at her forehead pulsating. "I was just pretending! This entire time! Just pretending! So that I could disappear." she continued, and then calmed down a bit and looked down, feeling blood rushing to her forehead, and got angry again.

Luna was done with pretending. She had enough, and needed to release the surge of emotions within her, the ones she had contained ever since she first started trying to convince everyone that she felt accepted by them. This was it, no more games, no more dishonesty, the end of the line. She wanted to be free, and she didn't care anymore about the other Kokiri or anything else in this damn forest. She had perhaps fully convinced the other Kokiri that she liked them, making it easier for her to flee, and everything she planned was working. But she could not keep pretending, not now. Elmo was blocking her freedom, being in the way despite not literally being in her way. And she needed to get her emotions out or else she felt she would explode, the veins in her temples throbbing, she feeling dizzy, her big eyes tired and angry, and her heart beating with greater fervour. She just had to go away, and it seemed that Elmo read her face perfectly.

"Uh, uh, uh-uh-uh-uh, L-L-Luna... I just wanted you to know that I care about you, we all do. The festival, it's-" Elmo said softly, trying to sound comforting, only to be cut-off by a ferocious Luna, who took one step towards Elmo so that she stood at an angle, leaning forwards slightly, hands clenched so much her knuckles whitened, and her face now quite frightening to behold. Her dark, pronounced eye bags and bloodshot eyes gave her a rather ghoulish visage, and she stared at Elmo straight in the eye.

"It was all for me, right? Wasn't it? The entire carnival was dedicated to me, just to make me feel better about myself, right? I already knew that, and I hate it! I hate all of it! I hate the festival, I hate this forest, I hate this place, I hate my home, I hate kids, I hate fairies, I hate my life! I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you! I hate you! I want to hate this place! I want to hate those kids! I want to hate those fairies! I want to hate you! I want to hate! I want to hate you and everything you've done and everything this place has done!" Luna exploded, trying to scream through clenched teeth, taking rapid powerful breaths through her closed mouth, now quite the little demon to behold, wild-eyed, blood vessels in her eyes filled nearly unto bursting, hair frizzy, exhaled breath swirling, and the poor girl vibrating with anger.

After a second of seething rage, Luna suddenly inhaled audibly and leaned back, eyes widening to fullest extent, and she paused with that expression, feeling her body become loose and a little wobbly, her heart throbbing against her ribs. Did she really say what she said? Did she really just react like that? The look of her eyes asked such questions.

Luna's words came as such a shock to Elmo that he instantly began crying silently, and looked down at his feet, destroyed. He shed tears even before he knew he was crying, eyes big and shiny, wondering what he had done wrong, teardrops running down his round cheeks. He just stood there, petrified and dumbstruck, watching Luna breathing and staring directly at him. She slowly turned around, about to walk away, but gave Elmo one final worried look and for a moment looking like a caring angel, and then with a huff and stomp, walked away angrily, swatting an irritating branch out of her way. Elmo just watched her go, and did nothing. After a dozen seconds or so of moving through branches and bushes, Luna stopped, and spun around, feeling her hair swing into a branch, she and Elmo looking at each other one last time.

"Don't you dare tell anyone you saw me, or else you will never see me again!" Luna warned, and then she disappeared into the shadows, to run away with them, and was gone. Elmo stood silently and motionlessly. He never felt so alone in his life.


	19. Chapter 18 - Reflection

**Chapter 18**

 **Reflection**

 _Examine and know the happiness of the living_

 _\- excerpt from Jaina Sutras_

Luna did not know where she was going, but at least she went somewhere. She did not care about anything, jogging through the morning dew and the forest's vegetation, feeling the cool, moist leaves and twigs on her skin as she went through them. As usual, she heard chirping birds overhead, and for the first time in her life, was starting to hate those noises.

She ran so far she was nowhere near the Kokiri Forest, nor in the Lost Woods, but as far-off as when Kibou searched for her along ago, somewhere towards the outskirts of the forest, where no fairies could be seen anywhere. She seemed to have ran north-west, noticing that the trees became smaller and smaller, and she could see the forested mountains to the north-east. Was she leaving the forest entirely? At that thought, she stopped, breathing audibly, face flushed with red from so much running, and she pondered about what she did.

"You've ran a long way, didn't you?" Luna asked herself with a chuckle, panting, and then smiled.

Luna swallowed hard on saliva, and suddenly felt very thirsty. At least at home, it was pretty easy to find food and water. Fortunately nearby, Luna found wild raspberries, both the kind that grew at the ground, and the kind that grew on bushes, and she gobbled up everything she could find, only to realize that there was a vast field of the red berries right beside her.

The little red berries tasted sweet and great, rejuvenating her, and Luna also ate some saskatoon berries (how those ended up in Hyrule is anyone's guess), rose petals, and juniper berries until she felt a little sick in the stomach. At least the air smelled nice from so many little fruits.

Fingers and lips reddened from the berries, she wiped her mouth with her sleeve, a trail of red appearing on her green sleeve, and then wiped her hands on her sides. She caught a cold, or perhaps had allergies, as her nose began to run, so she blew her nose onto the ground rudely, and then continued eating berries, sniffling once in a while. Bees, ants, butterflies, buzzing insects, and grasshoppers spotted the field everywhere, giving Luna the kind of company she liked. Sometimes, the flying bugs flew near her face, which she found a little irritating, often waving her hand at them to shoo them away, but that was just how things were out here.

After feeling sick again from too many berries, Luna decided to move on, eating a least few large raspberries that looked too good to ignore. Filled with berries, she continued her quest to find, or escape, freedom.

The albino Kokiri girl seemed to have left the final breadth of the forest, and up ahead, saw the edge of a cliff that overlooked a vast field. Eyes bright and eager, Luna jogged towards the edge f the cliff, excited to see what could be waiting for her. She ran to the opening and stood on the threshold of a new world! Up ahead was not a forest, but endless fields and hills, unfolding into the horizon of new lands and settlements.

Towards the horizon, Luna could see a ranch atop a plateau, and beyond that, the tops of the citadel of Hyrule far to the north. The fields ascended in height towards the ranch, but also varied here and there.

Luna began her journey, taking her first step out the forest, and her first step into freedom. As her first step touched the ground, Luna paused, one foot outside the wall of trees, and the other inside the forest. Luna felt as though she was about to leave something behind, turning around and taking one last look into the forest, both her home and friend.

"Aww, Kibou, I will really miss you... but this is the way it is supposed to be." Luna said to no one, then she looked at the rising sun overhead the canopy.

Luna took a breath, made a sigh, and then jumped down the cliffside along its ridges. Upon hitting the ground, she walked onto the fields of Hyrule for the first time. She couldn't figure out why fewer trees grew on the fields. In fact, the fields were almost like a steppe. Perhaps the citizens kept cutting down trees that grew near their territory, though Luna did not see lumber camps.

The runaway girl walked through the grasses and wheat heads, and then felt wind blowing into her direction, which she loved. Hearing birds sing, bushes sway, grass wave, wind flow, bees buzz, and all alone to enjoy everything, Luna stopped to experience the sensation of the field. The wind picked up, blowing back her hair back. Luna spread her arms apart, closing her eyes and leaning backwards slightly, feeling the breath of life.

Meanwhile, back at the village of Kokiri Forest, the forest folk continued their partying all night and into the dawn, still adorning their costumes. Kibou looked around for Luna, having no idea that she already left, but he did stumble upon another Kokiri wearing a nearly identical costume as Luna, and flew to that child.

"Hey, Luna, where've you been?" Kibou asked, but the child just walked on obliviously.

Puzzled, Kibou flew in front of the child's mask, stopping her.

"Hey Luna! Is everything alright?" Kibou asked, and the child looked up at him, taking off the mask and revealing that it was someone else, a blonde girl with straight hair and wearing a green headband.

"Oh, um?" the girl exclaimed, wondering what this random fairy wanted with her.

"Oh, sorry, thought you were someone else." Kibou remarked, and then flew off.

The black fairy flew around, trying to find Luna, but amidst so many unique costumes, he wondered if he remembered Luna's guise correctly. His friends were nowhere in sight, and Nina was with Vera somewhere.

"I'm pretty sure she wore a moon mask and a glittery black robe, or maybe not?" Kibou asked himself, wondering if he forgot something.

Kibou searched for Luna, high and low, but did not know where she was.

"Maybe she changed costume?" Kibou thought to himself, and then noticed that before the bonfire, the Kokiri set-up a pedestal, a tree stump, probably to announce the winner or something important.

Mido stood atop the pedestal, having taken off his cougar costume and setting it aside. The bonfire burned behind him, and the flames gave him an imposing appearance despite his skinny frame.

"Alrighty then, kiddies! This night, we celebrated our festival, we enjoyed ourselves and each other's company, we made and adored costumes, but there is something else that is very important. Not only did we celebrate this festival, but we also celebrated the return of one of us!" Mido gladly stated, the costumed Kokiri starting at him and most apparently having no idea what he was talking about (not that he could notice).

The Kokiri stared upon their boss attentively, one of the yellow Skull Kids sneezing lightly, his hat almost falling off.

"He's talking about Luna." Kibou remarked quietly, a few Kokiri looking up at him.

"Who's Luna?" a Kokiri boy in a Zora costume asked, and then Mido put his hands on his sides, signalling he was about to continue talking.

"As many of you know, one of us has been lost, but is now found and one of us again. We finish this festival in memory of her return as one of us, as well as her reconciliation with her bully." Mido continued, Vera rolling her eyes and crossing her arms, which Mido noticed.

The Kokiri looked around, murmuring about Luna or what Mido was talking about, but some Kokiri didn't know what was going on. Gödel, the Skull Kid, just sat on a log, lifted his mask, and starting chugging a mug of beer, obviously not caring about anything going on.

"Yes! We also celebrate Luna's return to us as one of us! Let's give her a round of applause, please!" Mido exclaimed gladly, and everyone applauded, including Mido, the fairies and the Skull Kids (except Gödel, who continued chugging), some of them not knowing why.

The applause gradually finished, but Luna did not appear. Kibou looked around.

"Come on out Luna! I know you're there somewhere, we are waiting for you to stand on this pedestal! Don't be shy, we are all eager to see you up here!" Mido called, and everyone looked around.

"Luna wore the Zora outfit, right?" a boy asked.

"I'm pretty sure she wore a moon costume." a girl remarked.

"Yeah, she wore a moon mask and a black gown, or something like that." a boy said.

"Luna is just really shy, she's somewhere around here. Or not, hih hee!" Fado exclaimed, lifting her Skull Mask, and when she spoke, the two yellow Skull Kids looked at her and reared, as if surprised that she was a human.

"Hm, maybe she already went home to sleep." Kibou said to himself, and then flew off alone, leaving the kids to their murmuring.

Luna's guardian made his way across the village, flew up to the higher level of the forest, and went amidst the trees up there. He eventually reached the last tree home, Luna's dwelling, and flew up it, noticing that the sun's light began shining through the canopy, casting rays here and there. He reached her dwelling, but also noticed a carving in the upside of the branch beside the entrance to the dwelling. The carving had a ray of awakening sunlight shining onto it, illuminating it.

Kibou flew to the carved shape to see what it was. Carved into the bark, and carved very well, was an image of a smiling girl with long hair, facing the viewer, one arm lifted and waving at the viewer. Beside the girl, was the carved image of a tilted fairy. Stabbed into the girl's head was the knife that carved the images. Luna had carved an image of herself and Kibou, and then stabbed the knife into the image of herself.

Kibou instantly knew what the carving meant, and in a fit of distress, slammed both hands into the bark, and then punched it with his right hand. He then flew off deeper into the forest, sparkling lights trailing behind him as he went, and thus he began his own adventure without saying goodbye.


	20. Chapter 19 - All Eyes on Her

**Chapter 19**

 **All Eyes on Her**

 _Change is sweet in everything._

 _\- Euripedes_

Noon eventually came, and some drama unfolded in the Kokiri Forest. The inhabitants did search for Luna, but no one found her, and most dared not to venture too far into the Lost Woods or anywhere else beyond the boundaries of their forest. A group of a dozen Kokiri somewhere beyond the Lost Woods spoke amongst themselves, taking their seats on the grass for a break, their fairies hovering around and keeping an eye out. This group of Kokiri had small swords and slingshots sashed at their sides, just in case, and a Deku Shield slung over the shoulder.

"Looks like Luna ran away for good this time." a Kokiri boy remarked, catching his breath.

"I can't believe she did, after all that work we put into the festival for her!" another boy whined.

"Me to. It was one of the best we had, and she didn't even appreciate it." a girl agreed, one of the twins. She was a blue-eyed blondie with shiny shoulder-length hair, wearing a green headband, sleeveless shirt, a short skirt, leather belt, and knee-length leather boots, and had a fairy that could change colour like most of the older Kokiri.

"Luna did put Axel's costume back in his closet. I heard she painted her mask to be smiling, I think she did appreciate what we did, but she just didn't feel welcome I guess." another girl remarked, the twin sister of the one how previously spoke, both sisters identical and wearing the exact same attire, and everyone shrugged at the same time.

"Luna reminds me of Link. He also ran away long ago, maybe Saria went with him years later." one of the twins remarked sadly, thinking about that hero from so long ago. Her sister looked at her with nostalgia.

"Don't lose hope yet. Maybe we'll see them again, and Luna always returns sooner or later." a boy said, but for some reason, they all had a feeling that would not be the case.

"Hey! Skull Kids, you know the Lost Woods, why don't you go on and search for her?" a boy called to the Skull Kids while taking his hat off and wiping his brow, the Skull Kids (who just happened to be nearby) looking back at them and then looking amongst themselves.

"Uh, what?" Gödel asked, one hand to his mask and wondering what was going on.

"Oh, we can't really do that. The forest is so vast it's impossible to actually find someone, especially considering that no one saw where Luna went." one of the yellow-dressed Skull Kids replied, he wondering what to say and feeling a little guilty.

"It's really, really too dangerous for us. There are adults out there, hunters and lumberjacks, and you can't trust them! They even sometimes dress like Kokiri to trick you!" the other yellow-wearing Skull Kid stated, looking around for such a foe. The blonde Skull Kid girl shook her head at them.

"We will keep an eye out for her. We'll try to find her, if we can." she told the Kokiri.

"Oh, come on Blondie, don't bother lying to them, we'll never find that Luna girl. The forest is too big. You can walk in any direction in a straight line and you'll get lost in a day!" the other Skull Kid girl remarked. "Oh Tara, you're just like those bees!" the blonde Skull Kid girl rebuked with some heat, actually referring to the two yellow-wearing Skull Kids.

"But it's true, and we have to accept that fact." Tara said.

"It doesn't mean we should just give up, we have to at least keep an eye out for her." Blondie remarked.

"We can really do that. As long as she stays in the forest, we're bound to meet her someday, maybe we'll find her when we're playing somewhere." one of the Skull Kid boys wearing a beak said.

"Sam is right. The forest is big, but it's not endless, we will eventually stumble upon her." Gödel remarked, noticing that the Kokiri nearby were getting ready to continue searching.

At that, the Skull Kids and the group of Kokiri said their goodbyes and parted ways.

The search for Luna continued well into the sunset, but ended with failure. All the Kokiri eventually regrouped at the remains of the bonfire, talking about the day, many worried about Luna. Mido sat cross-legged on the ground near the charred wood, looking upset and guilty, and his fairy could not comfort him. Mido stood up once Vera appeared, escorted by a few other Picti Kokiri. The other Picti, two boys and two girls, walked off to blend into the crowd, giving Vera and Mido space. Vera's fairy, Nina, flew closely to her, as if intimidated. Although rather hotheaded, Vera was nervous. Even Vera felt worried about Luna, knowing that Luna's sudden disappearance would now be used against her.

"Vera, what did you do?" Mido asked, looking up at the tall girl. He got up.

"Nothing." she replied, staring blankly at Mido.

"Oh, don't play stupid Vera! Luna is missing, and everyone knows what's been going on between you and her. What did you do to Luna?" Mido demanded, putting his hands on his sides and tapping his foot against the ground impatiently for a second.

"Ever since you got us to put the baby owls back, I've never even met her. I don't know what she's been up to, but are you surprised that she disappeared?" Vera replied.

"No! I'm not surprised she disappeared!" Mido shouted, briefly lifting his arms in a fit of anger, some of the Kokiri looking worried. Mido, the boss of the Kokiri, was like a father for them.

"Well, go talk to Kibou, he'll tell you where she is, he's always with her obviously." Vera said.

"I've never seen Kibou all day." Nina squeaked, Vera and Mido briefly looking at her.

"He's probably out looking for her, I had nothing to do with Luna's disappearance. If I did, Kibou would be here to tell you about it." Vera assured.

Elmo was nearby, looking down, feeling sad and helpless. He wanted to say something, to do something, to get Vera out of trouble. All he had to do was say he met Luna and watched her go away, but he also feared Luna's words. What if she found out he told the Kokiri what happened, and she never came back? He felt bad for just letting Luna go in the first, but he was too scared to do anything. Vera looked at Elmo briefly, as if she had a feeling he knew about something.

"Pfft, obviously Kibou is out looking for her and can't find her! You'd do anything to just fill-up that arrogant ego of yours! Anything!" Mido shouted, and then looking at Elmo as well for a moment to figure out why Vera stared at her, bit Elmo just watched the ground and kept silent.

"Are you saying that I killed her?" Vera asked, not feeling nervous, instead crossing her arms and looking irritated, staring at Mido as if he were an idiot. Mido clenched his thin hands and furrowed his eyebrows, staring at Vera directly, but his eyes were becoming a little shiny.

"I'm not, but I am asking you what did you do? Luna... she left us because of you! Because of you! How could you do such a thing, Vera? This is all your fault! I, as the Great Mido, reject you as one of us!" Mido shouted, and then he walked off to the side grumbling to himself, the other Kokiri stepping back to give him space.

Many Kokiri looked at Vera, wondering what to do. They talked about her with hushes and whispers. Few by few, they seemed to hate Vera, and few by few, they walked away, to do whatever had to be done. Vera huffed at them.

"I never needed any of you, and it's not like any of you are better than me in fighting. I don't need any of you, either." Vera remarked, but no one said anything. what Vera said was probably true.

Rather than stand there until left alone, Vera made her way to her own home, feeling as though she accomplished something. Nina was the only one with her, and while walking along the dirt paths, the other Kokiri avoided eye contact, acting as if Vera didn't exist, and she did not care. Her home was nearby, beside the bridge leading up to the higher level of the forest atop the plateau-like area.

"Vera... did you do something?" Nina asked softly and worriedly.

"No, but I have an idea." Vera replied, face slightly lifted, and she seemed to be thinking of something.

Vera's home had a ladder, going up to a platform, which led to a giant stump carved hollow and having many branches arching in all directions. As she reached the ladder, she paused, looking down to the left, staring at that old odd carving in the bark. The carving depicted a boy with a sword and heater shield standing beside a rearing, huge, dragon-like, dinosaur-like monster, apparently shooting three balls of flame out its mouth.

"I always wondered who carved that." Vera remarked, and then climbed the ladder.

That following night, Elmo wanted to find Luna, searching for her all night but to no avail, and he sat amidst bushes alone, trying not to cry. He felt so bad for just watching Luna go and not doing anything about it. He ran after her for so long, and for nothing. He took this as a great failure, feeling that it was all his fault. He wiped his eyes with his palms, sniffling. He heard a jingling vibrato noise and looked to the side.

"Oh, hi Bubbles." Elmo said, inhaling sharply and rubbing his face, trying to get rid of his emotional face.

"Hi Elmo, I'm back!" Bubbles said happily, a young male fairy who had a see-through body and clear aura, making him difficult to see during the daytime. He cast quite a bright glow.

"Hello, h-hello, w-w-wel-welcome home. I didn't expect to meet anyone out here." Elmo said, doing his best to stifle his emotions.

"Me to! Hey, are you crying?" Bubbles asked, hovering a little closer.

"No, just a little cold." Elmo assured, rubbing his hands on his eyes in an attempt to get rid of the tiny tears.

"Well, sitting all the way out here will get you a cold! Anyways, I had a great time visiting my family, I went to every Great Fairy Fountain to find them! Thank you so much, Elmo, for letting me go see my family!" Bubbles exclaimed happily, and Elmo nodded.

"What's wrong?" the clear fairy asked.

"Nothing." Elmo replied, shaking his head briefly.

"I think something's wrong, Elmo, maybe we should talk about it home? I hope nothing bad happened while I was gone." Bubbles said, but Elmo shook his head.

"I just need some sleep, I've been out wandering around for so long." Elmo said, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"OK, let's get some sleep then. I'm also pretty tired, too, been flying long distances all over Hyrule." Bubbles remarked, and the two headed home.


	21. Chapter 20 - Darkening

**Chapter 20**

 **Darkening**

 _And our name shall be forgotten in time, and no man shall have our works in remembrance, and our life shall pass away as the trace of a cloud, and shall be dispersed as a mist, that is driven away with the beams of the sun, and overcome with the heat thereof._

 _\- Apocrypha, Wisdom of Solomon 2:4_

The next day came and went for the Kokiri, all of whom did not speak as much as they normally would, nor were they as active as usual. For some reason, many of them had a feeling Luna was gone for good this time, and many felt guilty for not doing more earlier. But some continued searching for her, risking the dangers of the Lost Woods just for her sake.

One Kokiri boy looked into a hollow log, to see if Luna was inside, but there were just beetles. A girl checked behind a large oak tree, but only found a hedgehog crawling around with apples stuck on her back. The girl watched the hedgehog crawl away, perhaps going home to feed the babies with the apples on herself. The small group of Kokiri decided to go home, too, the Lost Woods was a scary place, especially when they overheard howling wolves in the distance.

"I wish we did something sooner." one of the boys walking home remarked.

"Yeah, me to, now we'll never see Luna again." a girl commented, her fairy flying close to her cheek to comfort her.

"Well, she has to come back someday, maybe in a long time, but she'll be back." another boy said, and then all of them looked guilty. They just had a feeling they'd never see Luna again. The howling sounded again, and the group of children decided to jog home.

During the following sunset, a man walked through the easternmost forests of Hyrule, beyond the Lost Woods. He was definitely not the usual Hylian of this realm, or perhaps not a Hylian at all. He was a heavily armoured knight, all his equipment dirty and rusty. He wore a horned great helm so large it was worn and supported by the shoulders. He donned a long-sleeved knee-length mail shirt, split front and back after the waist, and having integrated mail mittens. He wore the hauberk over his gambeson.

The knight's surcoat was red with a white cross. Between the surcoat and mail shirt, he wore cuir bouilli, strapped on the sides. He also wore chausses, which were individual mail leggings having looped tops, so that they could be tied to the bottom of the gambeson to crudely hang by it.

Sheathed in the knight's belt on the sides were his longsword and dagger, and slung over the shoulders, his kite shield, painted red and having a white cross. Wearing perhaps seventy pounds of equipment, he was obviously exhausted, stiff, overheated and sore, but continued trudging along the forest floor, body loose and slightly leaning forward, mail jingling as he moved, and his breath audible as it passed through the holes of his mighty helm.

It was so much to hear the breeze rustling branches and shrubs for him, or to see flowers, or walk through grasses. Although his reaction could not be seen, he ignored his uncomfortable state and simply enjoyed the forest, striding along in pain, but nevertheless at peace.

The man-at-arms felt something—heard something—sounding like musical, slow tingling. He turned to the side, seeing a cluster of fairies for a second before they dispersed amidst branches, as if hiding from him. He stared at the trees, the gnarly bark seemingly forming an angry face at him. He knew someone was watching him, but he could not see who it was. He heard soft breathing for a few seconds, but could not see who breathed, even though the breathing came from between him and some trees. Not even his helm could hide his bewilderment. Was it a breathing ghost?

The mysterious knight continued his painful trek, heading east, towards the setting sun, but he did not appear to know where he was going, and probably got lost and now wandered around aimlessly. In fact, he did not even lift his head, helm remaining titled downwards, almost as if he didn't care where he went, or perhaps in his exhaustion, he became oblivious to everything. He wasn't thinking straight, that's for sure, as he walked into a tree, helm thudding against it, but he made no reaction, walking around it and his mindless journey commencing.

Sometime later, the chevalier put his hands on a nearby oak tree, resting against it to be under its shade, and his breathing became sharp and light, as if suffocating. His mail-covered hands slid down the tree a bit, the mesh scraping against the bark and taking bits off. He started shaking, obviously suffering. He leaned into the tree, putting his helm against it, breathing audible as it went through the breath holes of his heaume. Blood dripped down his front from within his helm, trickling underneath it and flowing down into his surcoat, curiass, mail, and gambeson.

The knight exhaled slowly and then paused, and simply stopped breathing. Refusing to breathe, the knight pressed his hands onto the sides of his helm, and took it off, dropping it on the ground, the great helm landing on its side, blood visible within. Beneath his great helm, he wore a mail hood over a padded coif, and over the mail, wore a bascinet without a visor. He was clean-shaven, and did not have proportionately large eyes, certainly unlike a Hylian.

The man-at-arms caught his breath, and despite the shade he stood in, clearly something was wrong with him. His face was very red, the skin cracked, and dripped blood amidst the cracks. His eye sockets bled consistently, the blood leaking out from behind the eyeballs and trickling down his face. He had bloodshot eyes, the veins bugling so much they looked like they would burst. He kept his eyes open fiercely and widely, never blinking, green irises frequently changing direction to stare at something else as blood drooled down them. He did not blink even with bloodied eyes.

The knight turned around and then sat down, mail jingling briefly. Left knee bent and raised, left arm resting over it, and the knight's head low, he just wanted to rest. After some time he stood, picking up and putting on his great helm, and continued his walk. After a short distance, he suddenly stopped, and turned his body. He heard that gentle breathing again, but the breathing stopped with a sharp inhale, as if someone followed him and held in a gasp upon being noticed. But the knight could not see anyone or anything. A nearby crow cawed from a branch, and a bee buzzed across the scene. He moved on.

Sunset came when it did, and by that time, the knight reached a section of forest where the setting sun cast its last rays through openings in the canopy, casting light upon the knight. He stopped, and looked into the sunlight, which would normally blind a person and hurt the eyes, but he gazed into the sun unflinchingly. The sunlight illuminated the eye slits of the helm, showing the eyes within. He stared without blinking for several seconds, eyeballs covered with dried blood, which began to flake apart.

As the dried-up blood crumbled, the knight closed his eyes, feeling the cracked surface of his eyes scrape against the insides of his eyelids, and he lowered his head, helm tilting forward. His breathing gradually became weaker and slower, until he stopped breathing. He lifted his head to look at the sun once more, and the final rays beamed into the eye slits of his helm, revealing what was left of his eyes. That is, the knight did not have eyes or eyelids, instead, his eye sockets were empty, and blood dripped out of them steadily, as if he wept blood.

The man-at-arms suddenly inhaled deeply and audibly, breathing the scent of the forest, feeling, ironically, quite alive. He then exhaled, slowly but strongly, blood spattering through the breathe holes and trickling down amongst them. Red drops leaking down his helm, the knight continued his walk, body loose and weak, but he weakly unstoppable.

Nightfall came. The knight wandered amidst the night's expansive shadow and the forest's immense trees, with more darkness to come. The knight seemed to have ventured deeper into the magical forest, for fairies, few by few, made an appearance, though they seemed to be avoiding the knight, shying away from him, flying away here and there in little groups.

The knight stopped and looked to the side, anticipating something, but did not notice or hear anything. Was that annoying ghost near him again? Well, he didn't care anymore, and after a gurgling groan, blood leaking down his front from within the helm for a second, he painfully but unflinchingly limped onward, shoulders swaying a bit. What could he be up to?

The cheval walked on and on, walking all night, and more and more fairies and magical creatures were visible here and there. They gentler creatures continued to avoid him.

Upon dawn, the man-at-arms reached a peculiar location. There seemed to be a large crater-like depression in the ground, perhaps two hundred feet wide, and very circular, and growing from within it was a bright tree. The tree was rather impressive, about a metre wide and ten metres tall. The depression was unusual, in that the rocky formation around it curved inward slightly. At the opposite side of the giant tree was a loosely zigzagged pathway through the rocky formation, perhaps carved, or perhaps this area was overgrown ruins.

The mysterious armoured man walked to the ledge, and stood at the side of the depressed area, to his right the sentient tree, and to his left the Z-shaped pathway through the rocky formation, which led to the Kokiri village. He could not see the Kokiri Forest from where he stood, as the canopy was too thick. Nevertheless, he sighed with relief and collapsed after a quick exhale, falling onto his back. After a few seconds, he continued breathing softly, and seemed to fall asleep.

Nearby, a blonde girl emerged from the shadows, Fado. The blonde Kokiri stealthily approached the knight, half her mouth smiling, face eager and curious. Her fairy stopped her, tingling in her ear, as if to warn her.

"Oh, don't be such a scaredy-cat. I have to see what happened to him." Fado said to her fairy, and then tiptoed to the unconscious knight, looking down at him as if she wanted to catch him.

She stood before him silently, hands clasped behind her back, and she suddenly felt nervous. Who was this odd metal bucket-headed guy? She slightly tilted sideways and stuck her foot out, and poked the knight's side with the tip of her boot, and then skipped backwards away from him. He remained motionless. Fado looked at her fairy, and then back at the knight.

"Is he dead?" Fado asked her fairy with a grin, who just shrugged with an audible ting, "H-hih-hih, hee, hee hee!"

Fado went forth and nudged the knight's shoulder with her foot, pushing it into him repeatedly for a few seconds, but nothing happened.

"Uh, I think the forest's curse sucked out his life?" Fado asked the air, and looked at her fairy while fixing her headband.

"I think we should just go home." Fado's fairy remarked, and then changed colour from green to pink with a shake, and then he turned around as a bat flew by.

"We will, but I just want to see if this guy is cursed. I know that the forest has something that makes foreigners go undead. I always wanted to see how it happens, this might be my only chance." Fado remarked, and she knelt, grabbed the knight's helm on the sides and trying to pull it off.

"Just leave him alone." Fado's fairy whined.

"Ow! Why is this so heavy?" Fado asked, a little frustrated while trying to pull the heaume off, but unable to. So, she grabbed the helm by its horns, planted her heels into the ground, and reared. She fell onto her bottom and at the same time accidentally flung the helm somewhere, hearing it thud against a tree trunk.

"Ohh, ho ho ho ho!" Fado excitedly exclaimed, picking herself up and hopping to the knight. She knelt beside him, placing one hand on the brow of his bascinet to tilt it back as much as possible to look at his face. Or, at least what was left of it...

Dawn revealed the knight's face just enough, yet at the same time, hid just enough to not give Fado a heart attack. She stood up straight with a gasp upon seeing the knight's ghastly visage. It seemed the knight's skin and flesh were liquefying, transforming into blood, and then leaking away, leaving behind a meaty skull with empty eye sockets. He did not have lips or cheeks, teeth showing, but at least he had a nose.

Fado's fairy sat on her shoulder and clung to her neck, and the two remained silent and still for a few seconds. The knight then lifted his head off the ground, looking at Fado with his eyeless face, and she stared into his empty eye sockets with an innocent, worried, crooked smile. She lifted one hand and somewhat waved.

"Um, hi." Fado greeted, and then she turned around and darted away, her fairy falling off her shoulder but immediately flying after her.

The knight turned his head and watched Fado run away, she soon disapearing. He lost interest and let his head fall back onto the ground. He just wanted some sleep.


	22. Chapter 21 - A Warning

**Chapter 21**

 **A Warning**

 _A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit._

 _\- Ancient Greek aphorism_

Fado ran off around the depression, not even looking back. She jumped down from the rock formation, and it was rather high, perhaps six metres, but she wasn't worried, and landed like a cat. She then jumped over a tiny stream running from the pond, hopped across the three blocks sitting in the larger section of the pond, and ran through the village, nearby Kokiri wondering why she was running so quickly, several of the forest children asking her just that. Fado ignored them and darted into Mido's house. Coincidentally, at the same time, Mido was about to leave his house, so Fado ran into him and the impact made them both fall over at the entrance, Mido's hat falling off his head; the two children's fairies reared in the air from surprise.

"Ow! Fado, what the heck are you doing?" Mido exclaimed, picking himself and his hat up, rubbing his forehead before snugging his hat back on. Fado just sat there, looking up at Mido with big bright eyes.

"I saw something scary." Fado remarked, hearing several Kokiri form into a group outside Mido's house to see what was going on.

"Did you? I thought you liked scary things." Mido remarked, Fado getting up and fixing her hair, staring to the sides with her eyes.

"Well, yeah, but this time it was different. I followed this guy, a grown-up, who looked so weird. I knew he was cursed, and that he would become a Stalfos soon. I always wanted to see what happens! He couldn't see me of course, only Kokiri can see other Kokiri from far away. I saw him transform into a Stalfos. His life exhaled out of him, his blood left him, and he became undead. He eventually lied down to rest, so I took a metal bucket off his head and saw his face, it was the worst thing I ever saw. It was just a skull, a meaty skull without eyes. It was very creepy. He then woke up, looking at me with that eyeless face of his, and I ran away." Fado explained quickly, a little traumatized.

"I told you to leave him alone." Fado's fairy commented.

"Really? Where did you see him?" Mido asked, putting his hands on his sides and tilting his head, concerned about the situation.

"Oh, right! He is behind the Great Deku Tree, on the cliff!" Fado cried, and that really caught the boss's attention.

"Really? Well, we'll have to do something about that." Mido said, looking at his wall full of hunting and war gear and letting his arms drop. "Hm, how did he find us? The forest would have deterred the outsider. If this creepy guy made it all the way here, he must not be evil. But still, we need to be alert, just in case." he continued, stepping out his home to warn everyone.

Meanwhile, the knight had put his helm back on his head, and jumped down below. He then walked around the Great Deku Tree to be before him. The knight sat on the ground, both knees bent, left leg on the ground, right leg with the knee up so that he could rest his elbow on it. He sat leaning forward, head low, breathing audibly as blood dripped out the bottom of his great helm as well as spatter through the breathe holes and eye slits.

"Great Deku Tree, I'm back." the knight said with a raspy and gurgling voice, and he slowly lifted his head, several tiny torrents of blood trickling down his front.

The Great Deku Tree, resembling a tall bright oak tree with limited branches and few leaves, had bark on its front that had grown to form a face of some kind, the face taking up the whole area of the front of the trunk. The Great Deku Tree was young, about a metre wide and ten metres tall, not very great at all compared to the previous one. Thicker sections of bark somewhat formed eyebrows and a moustache, and the wood beneath formed the outlines of eyes and a mouth, though eyeballs were not visible very much, just little black beads, perhaps eternally closed once the bark grew over them.

Long ago, there was a previous Great Deku Tree, who had died of a curse. He was hit by lightning and split in half, nearly putting the younger Great Deku Tree on fire and then almost causing a forest fire. Once the Kokiri controlled the fire, the parts of the old Great Deku Tree were buried into the earth from whence he came, returning him to his true home, the place he was supposed to be, the place he was meant to be.

The current Great Deku Tree groaned, its young, slender body of timber and bark creaking as he awoke. The sentient tree stretched itself, as if yawning, bark and branches expanding and contracting slowly, barky moustache and leaves writhing for a few seconds. The tree leaned over slightly, wooden hull groaning and creaking from pressure, and leaves shaking from the vibration. Even the roots felt the stress, and several birds in the distance flew away.

"Alencon, welcome." the sentient tree greeted, wooden body creaking and groaning. The tree seemed to be able to communicate telepathically, as its mouth did not open, or perhaps he spoke as the sound of moving timber in such a way that any creature could understand it. Regardless, the tree did not seem happy.

"You have seen the vision, have you?" the knight asked. The sentient tree grumbled in acknowledgement.

"Perhaps the Great Deku Tree before me had a spiritual connection to the Royal Family, and perhaps that has echoed into me as I grew, I tend to know things, somehow. Whoever created that vision surely has ties with the Royal Family, perhaps forming the letter with the essence of a dream that traversed into the sleeping thoughts of those sensitive to such forces. However, the author of that vision, as well as the beholder, whoever the beholder is, well, neither have appeared to me yet." the sentient tree said.

"Then they are already too late, which is good. They are not important. Great Deku Tree, your realm, these forests, this forest, is the first line of defence for your world, to block outsiders from entering, outsiders like me. But many realms are connected by these forests, and those realms are also protected by your forests. These forests are a mighty shield to hide behind, or to hide within. If any realm were to take control, your forest would no longer be a bastion of defence, but a stronghold that would shelter invaders, perfectly placed amidst the passages to other worlds." the knight explained, and the Great Deku Tree's hull groaned.

"Well, I would not be surprised if the people of the castle came to protect Kokiri Forest. Long ago, a hero left this forest to save Hyrule, a boy who himself was a Hylian, so it is only fair for the people of the castle to repay that goodwill and help protect their hero's home. The vision spoke of protecting the immortal children, to protect this forest, the defence to deter outsiders. I do not fear what is to come. Fear and doubt, and the risks of becoming lost in the forest, and the consequences, is quite the challenge, a challenge that you have conquered many times, but not this time. I am sorry the curse has come upon you, but I told you to go back to your home, where you are supposed to be, the place you are meant to be." the Great Deku Tree solemnly said, his branches drooping.

"I allowed myself to become lost. I let the curse of the forest to enshroud me, to escape an enemy, to escape my brother knights, to escape my old life, to escape unhappy memories... To start over, to begin again, in death. There is nothing left for me in my life. I left behind everything. I left behind my family, my friends, my knights, my home, my honour, everything I knew and loved is all gone. The only thing that is precious for me is the forest, it's the only thing I love now." Alencon replied, then looking up at the sentient wooden being, blood continuing to leak down the front of the helm.

"You have met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" the sentient tree asked, but the knight shook his head, his armour now wet and shiny from so much bleeding, gambeson and surcoat soaked, mail and cuir bouilli trickling blood constantly.

"I am not afraid. I do not want to survive what is to come, and this curse your forest gave me, will guarantee I do not. I will do only what is necessary, and then fall apart. I want nothing more. But that's not why I came. I did not come here to talk about myself." Alencon explained, looking to the side as a family of deer ran along up above the cliff, his great helm shifting slightly.

"Well then, Alencon, why did you come here?" the Great Deku Tree asked, becoming a little impatient.

"You are expecting two visitors. When they come, I will kill them. What you do not know is that they are controlled by the very things they seek to destroy, and you must not allow them to leave the forest if I fail. Even if they are innocent, it is expedient to treat them as expendable. I speculate that the author of the letter is a descendant of the Sheikah, probably from a half-breed lineage, definitely a spy." the knight replied.

"Wait, what? You wish to Murder? I will not tolerate that in my forest, the Kokiri do not need to see that!" the Great Deku Tree stated sternly, leaning forward a little more, his entire frame creaking and groaning from anger. The knight picked himself up.

"I don't care. I became undead to get here, I left behind everything to reach this place, I know what I have to do. You do not understand the risks involved. If you wish to stop me, then just try to stop me." Alencon assured, blood dripping down his helm as always, and then he walked away.

"Alencon." the Great Deku Tree called, but the knight ignored him, "Alencon!" he called again, but the knight paid him no mind, only leaving bloody footprints behind.

The knight stopped, hearing the Great Deku Tree turning as best he could, and then Alencon hesitated. At first, Alencon appeared he would simply walk down the pathway through the rocky wall, but he then stopped after taking a few steps towards, considering that his appearance would probably spook the fairy folk. So he walked to the side, grasping some vines, and pulled himself up, reaching the top of the rocky formation encircling the Great Deku Tree, and he made his way into the trees up there, disappearing into the woods.

The Great Deku Tree tilted farther, wooden hull creaking and groaning, watching the knight go away, and then grumbled disappointedly, branches drooping, crown shaking, wondering what to do. If only he had legs, or could uproot himself, he would, to stop Alencon. But he could not.

Suddenly, perhaps fifty Kokiri appeared, running to the scene, all with their fairy guardians flying nearby, the kids simply fading-in from thin air, Mido leading the crowd with a little heater shield and a double-edged sword. All of the fairy children were armed with swords, spears, bows, axes and slingshots, and with them were the guards, as well as some hunters and Picti. The green-clothed kids looked around as they ran to their guardian, wondering if the knight would return or not, chirping amongst themselves about what happened. They had probably kept their distance from both their guardian and the scary knight, to hide from them, waiting for the outsider to leave.

"Great Deku Tree! We were not summoned to see you, but we came anyways, so that nothing bad happens." Mido exclaimed, loud and proud. The sentient tree tilted over to see what was squeaking, and then chuckled, wood creaking rhythmically.

"Oh, hello children! Nothing bad happened, nothing at all." the Great Deku Tree said calmly, watching the children come to a halt, their fairies whizzing after them and then bouncing around in the air excitedly.

"Well, then who was that?" Fado asked curiously, a few other Kokiri repeating her question, Fado scratching her head with her kukri, and a pause came.

"Great Deku Tree?" a boy asked, he, and many others, awaiting the sentient tree's response eagerly.

"Not even he himself knows. But he is an old friend, an outsider who comes from a faraway realm. He is on our side. But remember what I am about to say, because something important is going to happen soon." the giant tree said, instantly grabbing the children's attention, who looked up to him as if a grandfather, and the tree waited, to make the children a little impatient.

"What's going to happen?" a girl asked nervously, eyes darting to the side for a moment. The Great Deku Tree suddenly became upright, wood popping aloud, causing some children to flinch.

"Ah, what will happen? Well, it is important to remember, children, that for a little while, only come to me when summoned, or if the situation is very, very important. I have to be alone, to meditate, because my friend who just left has a very important task to do, and he really needs me to help him. I have to help him. This is very important." the Great Deku Tree said with a captivating voice, outstretching some of his branches and leaning over to make his storytelling more dynamic. The Kokiri looked relieved and interested.

"So, everything's OK?" Mido asked.

"Yes, everything's OK." the guardian replied.

"Will you tell him what happened?" one of the guards asked, a girl, looking at Mido.

"Tell him what?" Mido pondered, touching his forehead for some reason, a habit that suggested he was in some stress.

"Well, you know, what happened." the girl guard continued, Mido then figuring out what she meant. Luna.

"Oh, um?" Mido exclaimed, wondering what to say. Should he tell the Great Deku Tree that Luna ran away for real this time?

"Is something wrong?" the Great Deku Tree asked, and everyone looked at Mido, who kept his arms low at his sides, face frozen, eyes big, he not even blinking, but no one said anything.

"Well, um, we had a, uh, a little bullying." Mido mumbled, "But we took care of it." he continued quickly and quietly.

"Glad to hear it! Did anything else happen?" the Great Deku Tree asked, but Mido shook his head, and no-one else said anything. They were all afraid of mentioning Luna in front of their guardian. "Why are you all so quiet?" he asked.

"Oh, we're just a bit spooked because of that guy who came, but he's gone now." Fado remarked with a voice lighter than usual, eyes looking side to side for a second, hoping that what she said was enough to convince the Great Deku Tree, rubbing her shoe in a bloody footprint left behind by Alencon and apparently quite interested in it.

"Yes, he's gone for now. He is no trouble for us, but he wishes to protect us. He will be good for us." the sentient tree assured.

"Um, can we go now?" Mido asked nervously, eyes and head low. The guardian chuckled.

"Of course you can go! No-one's in trouble, I just want everyone to be happy!" the Great Deku Tree heartily said.

"Yay!" Fado exclaimed artificially, and all the kids and fairies took their leave, some of them saying "Bye-bye !" or "See you later!" to the guardian before going, just glad they had a chance to go away.

Nevertheless, the Great Deku Tree noticed their odd behaviour, and pondered about that. He did not seem to realize that Luna had run away, but there were more serious concerns. He tried to think of a way to stop Alencon, but he had a feeling he could not do anything. But, he would contemplate, learn, and act. It would take much more than curses and evil to stop him.


	23. Chapter 22 - One More Day

**Chapter 22**

 **One More Day**

 _I will not attempt any definition of instinct._

 _\- Charles Darwin, Origin of Species, Chapter VIII_

The third day had passed since Luna's departure to freedom. Having finally escaped her old life, and embraced a new one, Luna did not do very much other than running around like a wild animal, living off of fruit trees, berry bushes, petals, mushrooms, herbs, and water from streams. Nights were cold, but sleeping in bushes provided a little warmth when she arranged large leaves and ferns into crude tiny bedding. Even the coldness, and hardness of solid earth, was a reminder of freedom.

"Hunh, too bad I didn't bring a coat or something." Luna mumbled to herself while submerged in shrubbery as a shivering ball one night, but at least the summer nights were not too cold. Still, she wished she brought a coat. At least she had really long hair for a blanket.

While drinking water from a stream the following morning, she noticed some relatively large frogs with giant eyes, gazing at her from underwater. She lifted an eyebrow. Were those amphibians expecting something of her? No matter, she pranced about soon enough.

What else is there to describe about Luna? She scurried here, and scurried there, enjoying everything. She smiled so much her face hurt, running through shrubs, flowers, and feeling wild and free. She must have looked like a complete idiot: an albino girl, in green clothing, dashing about like a hyperactive squirrel. But at least she was happy in this repetitive, simplistic lifestyle.

Luna generally remained near the outskirts of the forest, or in close proximity to other forests and woods, perhaps not quite brave enough to run through Hyrule Field just yet. She was, after all, only a child. She eventually became tired and had to slow down her pace, to catch her breath, but continued curiously wandering this endless green world. Even something as mundane as a big rock caught her attention, and she would grab it with both hands and throw it.

Amidst her wanderlust, Luna noticed a small group of deer, a stag, a few females, and a few fawns. They were eating grass, big ears tilted and eyes cautious. Luna approached them, one of the fawns lifting his head to look at her. Well, the stag lifted his head, impressive antlers of authority rising, and the albino girl decided it was best not to get too close. The fawns walked away from her anyway, so no playing with them.

Later, the wandering child found a bunch of bunnies! The thirty or so rabbits were eating green things, one of the rabbits looking through the grass to see who was coming.

"Bunnies!" Luna squealed, and then tiptoed quickly towards the little creatures, wanting to touch them.

One of the smaller rabbits paused while eating, ears twitching. It hopped, jumping around to face Luna, but the rabbits did not scurry away. Instead, many stood on their hind legs and watched Luna come to them. Perhaps they knew she was harmless, or at least as innocent as they were. Luna slowly sat cross-legged and remained still, and eventually, the bunnies continued eating and sniffing things.

Luna felt so warm inside that she could just sit there and watch bunnies all day. She wanted to cup her hands and pick one up, eagerly awaiting the younger bunnies to go near her, but every time she tried to touch one, it ran away. She tried several times to even pet a rabbit, but to no avail. It was as if those little animals were teasing her. A white one with red eyes ate closely to Luna, eyes wary, so Luna slowly moved her hands closer to the bunny, intending to catch it, fingers inching towards the critter. Just as Luna felt fur, the wascally wabbit ran off. Luna had a look of irritation mapped across her face.

The forest child eventfully grew impatient, and then pondered of a way to catch one of the animals. All she could do was try to pick them up, so she attempted so, and failed miserably. Those bunnies were so nimble and swift, that they could simply wait, like frozen balls of fuzz, waiting for Luna to get close, and when she did, they scurried off. They did this for perhaps two or three minutes.

"I'm not even trying to hurt you!" Luna whined, putting her hands on her sides and pouting with a titled head, one foot tapping against the ground repeatedly for a second. Several birds teased her with annoying chirping and got Luna's attention for a moment, but she ignored them afterwards.

So Luna tried stealth, walking slowly and quietly, but her prey ran off sooner than usual, leaving her with a frustrated surprise. So she ran after those short-legged beady-eyed furry things, and no matter how fast she tried to run, the rabbits were always faster even when it seemed they were not trying to escape. They even hopped in zigzagging or curving patterns, and still outran the albino child with ease.

"Come and catch us, if you want to play." the rabbits seemed to say.

Much to Luna's disappointment, she could not play with the friends she wanted to have. She tried and tried, and failed and failed. Eventually, she became tired, and the rabbits, few by few, disappeared beyond the bushes and barrows. The last few soon disappeared.

Luna watched one bunny, a fat white one, dive into a burrow, ears back with his legs and body outstretched, but was a bit too big, and got stuck halfway in the hole. Luna could have had charged forth and snatched the fat bunny trying to fit in a hole in the earth, but something about that made her stop. She stood upright and still, almost panting, brow a little sweaty, the fat rabbit's tail and padded feet wriggling about. Soon, the rabbit squeezed himself into the burrow, hiding in the underground darkness.

The Kokiri girl decided to take a look, jogging to the hole, kneeling before it, and took a look with a small smile. She saw the fat rabbit inside, staring back at her. What a cute thing. Luna slowly and gently put a hand in the hole, sticking her tongue out the side of her mouth and biting it, just to poke the bunny. She did not want to hurt him. Predictably, the small animal delved further into the hideout. Luna made a disappointed half-smile.

"Why do they run away? I just wanted to pet them." Luna lamented to no one.

She stood straight with a sign, and turned her body around. She saw a large black wolf walk across her vision, perhaps twenty metres away. Not a Wolfos, a wolf. The wolf was easily man-sized, and compared to a child, quite gigantic. The beast's thick dark fur shimmered in the sunlight as he came to a stop. He suddenly sniffed the ground with that big nose of his, muzzle delving into the grasses, and then he breathed the scent of earth a few times. Then, the wolf lifted his head, and looked at Luna. The black wolf and the white girl calmly stared at each other.

Luna felt no fear or any emotion. She knew the dangers of carnivores, but also knew the big black wolf would not harm her. She just knew it was going to be safe. After several seconds of staring, the wolf trod along as if nothing happened. Luna watched him go. Once he left, Luna audibly breathed in and out through her nose.

The girl then felt a rush of fright, but stood still anyways. Once a few long seconds passed, she decided to do something, and walked to a leafy apple tree. The tree was not too high and had relatively low branches. Luna jumped, grasping a branch, and lifted herself, feeling the tree rustle and drop several apples, which thudded against the ground. She perched on the branch and looked around. Luna was not necessarily high off the ground, and looked down.

Out of nowhere, three gray wolves stood below the tree, eyeing Luna. One of them put his front paws on the tree, one paw then dropping, and the wolf kept looking at Luna with a tilted head. The wolf's head was almost up to the branch, and if only canines could climb trees, the wolf would easily snatch Luna. The wolves breathed quietly and did not even blink. The wolf then hopped, leaning its head over the branch while mid-air and trying to bite Luna's ankle, but failed. The two other wolves looked down and started sniffing, as if expecting food to suddenly appear.

Luna, upon realizing that it was better to climb higher, stood up, keeping balance, and looked around for a higher branch to climb onto. The wolf jumped again, this time managing to get his front paws over the branch for a moment, weight causing it to shake, and thus unbalancing Luna.

"Oh-whoa!" Luna exclaimed quickly, balancing on one foot, arms flailing and body contorting. The wolves spread their legs apart and lowered their backs, eyes locked on the child.

Having lived in trees her whole life, it would take much more than a shaky branch to get Luna off a branch. She quickly regained her footing and jumped up, grabbing onto a higher branch. She lifted her knees, wrapped her legs around the branch, and hung upside-down, her weight and movement caused the branch to wobble and drop some apples. The wolves heard the apples fall around and upon them, and they looked down, two wolves sniffing the apples, wondering what had happened, and then they looked back up.

Luna remained hanging upside-down by her legs, long hair hanging like a frozen waterfall, and there she hung, hands flanking her face with the fingers open, making funny faces at the wolves like that with her tongue sticking out, and swaying her head playfully. The wolves kept their angry lupine visages on, and did not seem impressed. Luna's swaying caused a few apples to fall, and one struck the underside of her chin, and the impact made Luna bite her tongue. That got her to stop fooling around. She covered her mouth with both hands, eyebrows high.

Well, the three wolves just stood where they were. Luna felt blood rushing into her forehead, so decided to become upright. She lifted herself up, and then sat on the branch, legs dangling; a few more apples fell when the branch shook. That gave Luna an idea, and she began throwing apples at the wolves. The first two apples she threw missed, but one hit a wolf's head, bouncing off it. The wolf made a bark, obviously irritated, head flailing for a moment and hooking his clawed paws against the ground, snarling, ears pointed back. Luna threw another apple, the wolf skipped back to dodge the dangerous fruity projectile.

Luna remained in her apple tree, and continued throwing apples at the wolves until they got bored and went away. Still feeling a bit threatened, but safe in the tree, Luna remained perched where she sat.

With nothing to do, she ate a few apples that were within arm's reach. She then waited, as patiently as ever, for evening to come. By that time, the wolves would surely have gone their way. Luna felt a little uncomfortable, and repositioned herself, so that she sat sideways, shoulder touching the trunk of the tree, and back resting against another branch. She lounged like that, hidden in the foliage. No one would ever see her.


	24. Chapter 23 - Along the River

**Chapter 23**

 **Along the River**

 _People forget it is an ephemeral world in which we live._

 _\- Yamamoto Tsunetomo, extract from Hagakure_

That evening, Luna awoke, still in her tree. She looked around, no wolves anywhere. She dismounted her tree and decided to move on.

As Luna casually and slowly made her way along a forested area amidst the short mountains, she felt uneasy. She heard and felt wind blowing, trees and shrubs swaying slightly, branches slowly shaking, and foliage fluttering. Some birds sang here and there as usual, but she still felt a little afraid. Still a little worried about the wolves she encountered, Luna decided to walk back to the woods growing at the cliffsides, to be with the trees, where she felt most at home.

Some trees creaked from the wind, as if unhappy to see Luna, as if they wanted to make her feel guilty for leaving the forest. Luna even looked up at the creaking trees with an empty face, wondering if those wooden beings would suddenly uproot, grab her, and then carry her back to Kokiri Forest. What a silly thought to have.

Later, Luna mustered the courage to venture into Hyrule Field again, and reached a hilly section, which had a river that flowed into two streams, one flowing to a large, deep pond. This area was at the easternmost section of Hyrule Field, just before the short forests mountains that enclosed the hilly field. The river came from beyond the wall of short mountains here, having carved through a rocky formation, leaving an arch behind. The pond was between a steep hill overlooking Hyrule Field and the forested mountainous area.

The river spread apart after flowing through the rocky formation, one side flowing around a rather short distance southward and into the pond, and the other side flowing off into the distance northward, towards Hyrule Castle to also serve as a moat. Luna could barely notice the castle itself, and the castle town had grown into a small city over the past two decades, urban development spreading beyond the river in all directions possible, and having a paved road leading to the castle town.

Many wooden homes and buildings were along the river bank, and even a few small docks for small boats. Eastward and southward had the most development, as those directions had just open field, and now occupied many two- to three-storey apartments and various buildings. Before these buildings, stretched across Hyrule Field, was the farmland, vast acres for agricultural purposes, with various hamlets and farmsteads dotting the landscape, with farmers, ranchers and gardeners doing their work.

After the farmland and buildings was the river, acting as a moat for the fortifications, the stone wall at the far side of the river. The river flowed along across the entire length of the castle town, eventually passing through a ground-level aqueduct at the western side. A gatehouse with a drawbridge was present as well, leading to the inner city. Beyond the inner city, positioned upon hilly meadows and cliffs, was the castle itself. However, most of the details could not be seen from Luna's point of view. She did not have the best set of eyes.

Across the pond and river was a village above a forested hilly area with a big windmill at the far side, but too far away and too isolated amidst forests for much to be seen. Far to the south, near the centre of Hyrule Field, was a walled ranch atop a hill (resembling a motte and bailey without a moat), but too far to be bothered about, but it was surrounded by farms at ground-level.

The outskirts of the city was rather unimpressive, as the outer city, essentially being a riverfront neighbourhood, was home to the poorer folk. The richer folk, such as nobles, knights, clerics and merchants, lived in the inner city, after the river and behind stone walls. The castle town did appear to have had sustained some damages, but they were minor, such as smashed windows and burnt sections, not much beyond hooliganism.

Only the norm was going on, as most of the inhabitants were getting ready to end work for the day. Blacksmiths, farmers, traders, kids, and carpenters audibly did the last of their activities throughout the farmland and outer city, but not much else could be seen from afar. The inhabitants wore basic, classic clothing, such as long-sleeved shirts, trousers, and women wore dresses. Luna was not at all interested in the foreign world up ahead, nearly oblivious to it, not even caring to look at it for more than a few seconds. Why should she care?

Luna drank from the stream, and then walked around it to go up the hill at the opposite side, just to see what she could see, but other than a few trees along the riverbed here and there, there wasn't much to behold. She didn't care about the castle town or its farmland, and jogged down the hill playfully.

Amidst her playful wandering, feeling as though she ruled all the world, believing she was alone, Luna suddenly noticed something nearing behind her. How did she not see it sooner? A group of people walked along a dirt road with a wagon riding along. Immediately, Luna ran away, and then hid in the grass near the river like a cat, tips of her ears poking upwards like blades of grass, hoping no one saw her. She remained low enough to be concealed even from an eagle with a telescope.

Twenty men walked behind the wagon, moving in a two-man wide line. These men were not Hylians. Hylians had long pointy ears, whereas these humans did not. These humans were much taller than Hylians, most about six feet in height (several inches taller than Hylians on average). However, like most Hylians, most men were fair-haired and blue-eyed.

These men looked unremarkable, wearing leather boots, trousers, and shirts, all of them having rolled-up their sleeves to cool off slightly. Each man wore the pelt of a Wolfos, wolf, wolverine, stag, cougar or bear, so that the head of the animal was worn overhead and the skin down the back, giving them an animalistic, frightening appearance. Some had long hair and beards. They also wore sword-belts, all having sheathed swords and knives at their sides.

The driver—quite a big, tall, heavy man—was armoured in a hauberk. A nasal helm, strung longbow, quiver, a dozen javelins, and a spear lied near him on the floor of the wagon.

The men's swords had short hilts, short cross-guards, rather wide blades with rounded tips, and short, wide pommels. Each man had a round shield slung over the shoulders to hang down the back. Their shields slightly varied in size, but were around three feet wide, the fronts painted with various symbols, such as a black raven, dragon, bear, wolf, or some other animal.

The wagon was perhaps twenty feet long and ten feet wide, and had scaffolding-like sides to hold a large tent-like length of fabric that acted as a roof. Two men sat on the wagon, one obviously being the driver, and another sitting at the back of the wagon. The wagon was full of supplies, animal hides, longbow staves, woad leaves, gilded jewellery, and other trade goods, probably for trade. Exotic goods such as silk, spices, composite bows, shamshirs, and precious stones also made an appearance, hailing from the deserts far to the west of Hyrule where the Gerudo and desert dwellers reside.

The man sitting at the back of the wagon jumped off, walking away to be behind the column, and the man at the front left took his seat on the wagon. They seemed to be taking turns sitting on the wagon, so that everyone had a chance to rest their feet once in a while.

Luna obviously never seen adults or horses before, and decided to remain hidden. She viewed the horses as very large deer without antlers but having hair and long tails. The men looked scruffy and evil, and were probably up to no-good! She stayed low in the grass to avoid being seen, though most mortals often could not see a Kokiri beyond a dozen feet or so, even when the Kokiri wasn't trying to hide at all. They had an uncanny ability to blend with the environment, in such a way that a non-Kokiri would never notice.

The wagon soon stopped, and the men took a break, most of them walking towards the river, murmuring about just that. Coincidentally, they happened to get close to Luna, but they did not see her despite being just several feet away. From their point of view, Luna was simply invisible.

The wagoner rubbed his eyes and stretched, and then looked to the side, where Luna hid. He did not see the girl, but he had a feeling something was amiss, but soon did not care. The other humans knelt before the river to wash their hands and faces, and drink, cooling down from the crisp, clear, rushing waters. The wagoner got off the vehicle and freed the four horses from their reins, and took them to the river, to let them drink and rest. A few of the men occasionally examined the farmland up ahead.

"The farmers don't look defended. We'd be able to raid some of them and get away with it easily." one of the men remarked, a redhead with a full beard, wearing the skin of a wolf.

"Hm, yeah, after we finish selling and trading and get going home, we should try to take some things. These ljosalfar are much smaller and shorter than us, they probably won't even fight back." another said, a younger man with short black hair and moustache, finishing his words with a chuckle. He wore the skin of a stag.

"How should we kill them? Cut their chests open down the middle, and spread their rib cage apart like the wings of an eagle?" a third purposed, a blonde man with a braided beard, wearing the pelt of a bear, and then slurped water from his cupped hands.

"I'd just stab them in the heart or neck, there's less blood that way. We shouldn't let them find out we killed some of them, we just need to give them enough fear to keep them in place." the moustached man said.

"The ljosalfar are almost at war with each other, they probably wouldn't even figure out we killed a few of them." another man remarked. The wagoner grunted, walking to the scene, his mail shirt jingling as he moved.

"Harnack, Guomundur, Morirex! We're not here to kill any ljosalfr, I won't risk losing trade opportunities, we need to get their trust. Only fight them if they fight you first." the old man stated, looking over at the horses for a second, who drank water and ate grass.

"They would not do anything if we just robbed a few." the previous man who spoke, Morirex, said.

"I don't care, we're here to trade, we're not going viking." the wagoner rebuked.

"A longship would work, seeing as the river runs through the land and through the town." a young man who had not spoken remarked.

"That's stupid, you'd sail straight into the town with swords and shields? The ljosalfar are smaller than us, but their soldiers wear sheets of steel, we can't get through that." another man said, and those who had spoken grumbled about what to do and how to do it.

Soon, most of the men walked back towards the wagon, feeling ready to go. The wagoner got the horses to walk with him, taking them to the wagon, to put them back under the yoke of reins. Harnack, Guomundur, Morirex, and three other men stayed at the riverbed for a while longer, cooling down with the water while bickering about raiding by land or water.

Luna did not go anywhere, too nervous to even budge, but at least she was still invisible to mortal eyes. She felt the strain in her legs and back, wanting to sit down or kneel, but even the smallest budge could possibly attract the attention of those evil men, something she did not want to risk. She found it hard to breathe steadily, often holding in gasps, but sometimes inhaling sharply, causing two men to look at her direction, obviously hearing something, but not seeing anything.

"Did you hear something?" Morirex asked aloud, sniffling for a moment and rubbing his nose with his sleeve.

"Yeah, sounded like the grass is gasping?" one of the men suggested. Luna put a hand over her mouth, but did so too quickly, and smacked herself audibly, attracting even more attention.

The men with names mentioned and two others, having heard Luna slap herself in the mouth, now all stared at Luna's direction confusedly, with only one man drinking water still.

"Eh, forget it, must be bugs or bunnies or something." Harnack remarked, and he went back to rinsing his face and arms.

Luna inhaled slowly, feeling her breath going in-between her fingers, wishing she'd calm down, but every second was worse than the previous moment. Her legs and shoulders vibrated gently, her stomach and feet felt like shaky jelly, and she could not even think or breathe straight. The prospect of men wearing the hides of real animals was quite frightening for her. What barbarians! She just kept her head low and stared into the running water, and saw a large thing swimming in the rushing depths, a man-sized fish with immense fins?


	25. Chapter 24 - Don't drink from the water

**Chapter 24**

 **Don't drink from the water**

 _pabulum Acheruntis (food for Acheron)_

 _\- Plautus, on those who deserve to die_

Something suddenly sprang out of the river like a leaping fish. Harnack just had enough time to look to the side, seeing a long blue thing clutch over the man drinking water nearby. The long blue thing resembled a lean man, but had white scales over the entire body, pitch-black cat-like eyes, pointy nose, and a strange appendage that protruded from the back of the head, resembling a dolphin's tail, or some sort of extension with a flipper on the end (giving the creature's head the appearance of a tadpole's body). Large fins protruded forwards from the elbows, split down the middle halfway. Two smaller fins hung down from above the hips. It was, undoubtedly, a Zora.

Well, the described Zora had jumped out the water, like a fish leaping out, and had grappled with the targeted man kneeling before the water. Hands firmly clutched over the man's head, the Zora lifted his knees and curled his body forwards, to increase his centre of gravity as much as possible, trying to cause the man to lose balance and fall forwards into the river, but the Norseman was stronger and heavier than the Zora. For now, the two grappled in an awkward position while partly in the water.

Harnack shouted a battle cry to get everyone's attention, most of whom did not seem to care whatsoever about the splashing, presuming it to be nothing dangerous or important. Another Zora jumped out the river, gliding through the air for a moment before landing atop Harnack, who was in the instance of unsheathing his sword. The impact caused him to fall on his back, the Zora's fins suddenly elongating and the merman began sliding them to and fro, cutting open Harnack's face. The Norseman lowered his chin to prevent his throat being cut, and withdrew his seax and started stabbing and chopping it frantically while kicking from desperation. The blade did not pierce the Zora's scales but still hurt him.

Harnack kicked the Zora off himself, getting up and trying to cut the merman open, but the fishy fellow turned around and jumped back into the river. The Zora were so lithe and athletic they could dart about in an eye blink, even on land. Eager to help the man grappling with the Zora, Harnack ran to him, but another Zora popped her head above the water, holding two harpoons, one in each hand. The harpoons were light and crude, made entirely of wood, the tips just sharpened wood. She threw one into Harnack's temple, which fractured the skull and stuck in it. Since the Zora had to float, she could not throw anything with much power.

Harnack groaned, spinning to the side and kneeling on one knee from the pain. He grabbed the harpoon, pulled the shaft downwards, and wrenched the thing out his scalp, hearing it pop out. Blood leaked with every heartbeat, steadily dripping over his front and onto the ground, right eye soaked with blood and partly blinding him, as well as making his red beard redder.

"Ambush! Mermen!" one of the others shouted, and all other barbarians began to unravel their shields and unsheathe their swords, half rushing towards the riverside, and the other half scanning around quickly, expecting an attack somewhere from the field, but also making sure no-one was trying to flank them or steal from the wagon.

Upon noticing Harnack's vulnerability, the female Zora gripped her other harpoon in her dominant hand and quickly threw it at Harnack's face, entering his cheek and probably knocking a few teeth loose. The Zora who first appeared managed to put his targeted foe in a headlock and rolled backwards, pulling the man underwater before the other barbarians could help him. Several Norsemen ran into the river to help their friend, legs kicking water everywhere, but a few more Zora, already underwater, swam by and helped drag the submerged Norseman deeper into the river.

Obviously unable to swim effectively, and with the running water constantly rushing into the shield and causing him to flow with it, made it easy for the amphibious Zora to keep him underwater, and it was not long until he ran out of breath and started snorting water. He did withdraw his sword and swung it underwater, to try and fight in a last attempt to save himself, but the length of the weapon and river flow made it difficult to wield effectively underwater. One Zora used his fin like a blade, swimming over the drowning man and cutting his throat open with it, the water near him becoming murky with redness, and then they let him go, leaving the undercurrent to carry him away.

"Oh, godsamme! He's swimming with the fishes now!" Guomundur spat upon realizing there was nothing he could do, even running waist-deep into the water and still trying to find his friend. The river pushed against his legs, and the other men ran out the river.

Meanwhile, Harnack pulled the harpoon out his cheek and jogged on with the others.

"Guomundur! Get out of the river before they drown you, too!" one of the Norsemen shouted, so he did so, a Zora leaping out of the water and intending to tackle into his head and off-balance him, but he smashed the airborne Zora in the head with his shield, knocking her down. She managed to squirm and then swim away before Guomundur had a chance to slice her open, the sword only cutting water.

Another Zora jumped out the water perhaps twenty feet up the river, flying literally several feet into the air, rolling over forwards upon landing. He was slightly different, having a very broad skull in the shape of a shark's head, giving him a wedged face, so there seemed to be a few kinds, or a few subspecies, of Zora. He ran across the ground, several charging Norsemen briefly looking at him, and the Zora struck a horse's rump with a brief light vibrating yawp, clawed scaly hands definitely hurting the horse, sparking the horses into a mindless gallop out into the field.

The driver, hauberk jingling as he ran, drew his sword, obviously irritated that his horses ran off, but he could not worry about them now. The Zora ran away, easily outrunning the bigger, older fellow, and soon jumped back into the river. The driver got somewhat separated from the others; the others charged forth loosely, eager for revenge.

Luna, who was caught in the middle of the skirmish, had no idea of what to do, and just hid in the grass, hoping nothing would happen to her. However, the barbarians ran over her, one of Norsemen inadvertently kneeing her in the head and knocking her over as he ran, and several others trampled her into the ground, presuming the little obstacle to just be a mossy stone; none of them noticed her.

Seven more Zora appeared, heads popping up at the riverside, all of them armed with flint-tipped javelins and barbed wooden harpoons, primitive weapons, but still capable of harm. The Zora stood up and threw their javelins and harpoons at the charging men who were only mere metres away, who instantly held their shields out in front of themselves. Some projectiles stuck into shields, a few bouncing off the rims or bosses, but one harpoon flew into a shinbone, causing the man to cry out in pain and kneel. Morirex stayed behind to protect the wounded man, helping him try to remove the harpoon, but the barbs had dug into his shin and remained stuck in it.

"The barbs are lugged in my shinbone!" the wounded man cried, grimacing and gnashing his teeth, sitting on his bottom to get weight and stress off his leg, resting the bottom rim of his shield on the ground and sword slightly lifted in case he had to defend himself from so vulnerable a position.

"Shut up and I'll try to get it out!" Morirex shouted, slinging his shield over the shoulders, and then trying to pull the harpoon out with his left hand, so that the wrist was loose and shaky, but the barbed pointy end remained lodged in the shin, much to the barbarian's discomfort. The eighteen other men continued the pursuit against the mermen, though there was not much they could do unless they dove into the river themselves!

The seven Zora who appeared instantly turned around and dove into the river, and immediately disappeared. The nine other Zora reappeared perhaps twenty feet down the river with the upper half of their body above the water, and they threw rather large clamshells at the Norsemen. The clamshells were sharpened along the edge, and thrown in an overhand manner rapidly into the legs of the barbarians.

The clamshells made a high-pitched whiz as they spun through the air, and although not heavy, they were so sharp they literally cut into the boots of the humans, a small portion stuck into the shields and broke apart, and a small portion either hit the ground or failed to cut into anything. Several barbarians stopped, kneeling over to take the shells out of their legs. Each Zora hurled many more shells, able to throw several within a second, and sure enough, they floated deeper into the river. Some men ran into the river, eager to cut heads open, but the Zora predictably swam away.

About thirty feet down the opposite end of the river, six more Zora appeared, armed with javelins, which they threw at the driver while he jogged to rejoin his brethren, but as an old man, he couldn't run quickly and had low stamina. The flint-tipped projectiles just bounced off his hauberk, causing the pattern of rings to ripple and jingle; one javelin also ricocheted off his nasal helm and made a spark. Frustrated by the flank attack, the driver spun around and ran towards the six Zora who appeared, but they simply retreated back into the river and swam off.

"Get back here you snivelling little shrimps!" the driver shouted angrily, running to the riverside, heavy body causing his footfall to stamp into the earth, he half-expecting that the Zora would politely wait for him, but he could not see much through the running water. He unslung his shield and kept an eye out.

The nine Zora down the other end of the river harassed the foreigners with clamshells and also stones, provoking them closer to the river, though none of the men were foolish enough to actually run into the river. They would have to outlast the skirmish somehow; retreating from the fight would give them shame. Personal honour and the need to show bravery to comrades also prevented the barbarians from fleeing.

Meanwhile, the six Zora who provoked the driver reappeared, brandishing spears and attacking the driver, though their spears could not pierce his mail shirt, and his thick body absorbed impact as well. They fought by holding the spear with both hands, so that the dominant hand gripped the bottom end of the spear tightly, and the other hand held the shaft halfway up loosely, so that by pushing with the gripped lower hand, they could quickly and strongly thrust the spear, while also allowing them to suddenly pull it back for defence.

The spears failed to bypass the shield as well, but the Zora knew what they were doing. Two Zora quickly hooked the backs of their spearheads around the rim of the driver's shield, pulling it aside, allowing others to thrust into his body, but the flint heads failed to pierce his mail. After a brief struggle, the Zora managed to disarm the driver's shield, and then the Zora encircled him and repeatedly thrust into him.

The driver managed to parry a few spears by knocking aside the shafts with his sword as well as the forearm of his free arm, but being heavily armoured, large, and old, his six Zora opponents easily danced around him, keeping their legs spread apart so that one foot pointed forwards and the other sideways, all fins spread apart as well to keep them balanced.

The Zora spearmen began jabbing repeatedly at the face, forearms and legs of the driver, poking holes in him where armour did not cover. The driver did not cower, and instead became infuriated, rushing forwards to get up-close and start hacking mermen apart. However, the Zora danced around and kept their distance from him like agile cats, as if the quickness of a sardine was now implemented on land. The Zora would lift the appendage at the back of their head outwards for a moment whenever they skipped backwards, to maximize their agility.

The driver managed to grab a spear shaft, pulling it out a Zora's hands, feeling the others spearing him repeatedly into his armour and legs. He realigned the spear in his hand and threw it like a javelin. The Zora he aimed at, the one he disarmed, lifted an arm, parrying the thrown spear with his fin. Having created an opening, the driver charged the disarmed Zora, who spun around, backhanding with a fin but it just slid across the nasal of the driver's helm, who then chopped at the merman, who in turn dodged the blade.

Another Zora suddenly rammed his spear from the side amidst the driver's legs, so that the spear went across the right shin but behind the left leg, tripping the driver and saving the disarmed Zora, who then went to pick up his spear.

As the driver fell, he slashed downwards, but did not reach his target, blade hitting the earth instead. Instantly, the five armed Zora stabbed their spears into him, aiming for the neck, but the old man writhed about while swatting with his free arm and sword, disarraying the attacks and making himself a harder thing to kill. Noticing that the driver was in trouble, Morirex decided to help him.

"Ech! Haavelmo, I have to help the old man!" Morirex said to the wounded warrior he was guarding, and ran towards the driver.

"Til Valhall!" the wounded Norseman shouted, encouraging his comrade, and was left alone as his comrades fought on, unable to catch the Zora.


	26. Chapter 25 - Riverside Struggle

**Chapter 25**

 **Riverside Struggle**

 _In group strategy, you constrict the instant your adversaries are about to launch their action._

 _\- Miyamoto Musashi, extract from Book of Five Rings_

Morirex charged the six Zora by himself, shaking his head to and fro, braided beard and bearskin shaking as he growled like a savage animal, his growling gradually becoming a battle cry, putting himself into a frenzy. The six Zora looked at the charging man, wondering what the heck he was doing, for they had never seen such strange behaviour before. The driver swung his sword sideways, attempted to chop off a few legs, but the Zora, without looking, skipped back to avoid the big man's swing.

One Zora suddenly thrust his spear into the side of the driver's neck, and then twisted the shaft. Withstanding the pain, the driver slashed his blade at the Zora's legs, who jumped off to the side, avoiding the attack, and applying body weight into the spear midair and driving it deeper into the driver's neck. The old man writhed in pain, growling, and began swinging his sword haphazardly.

The six Zora stepped back to face the charging Morirex, who unslung his shield, brandished his sword, and began gnawing on the rim of his shield. The Zora split, three going to the left and three to the right, flanking the charging barbarian and jabbing at him. He stopped biting his shield and blocked most attacks with it, then ran to the right, feeling the three Zora behind him thrusting their spears repeatedly into his back, but the bearskin resisted the spearheads.

Morirex slashed his sword about, and the Zora obviously skipped backwards while jabbing their spears repeatedly. But the barbarian was unfazed, wild-eyed, eyeballs bulging, mouth open, lips pulled back to show the teeth, tongue curled upwards, eyebrows furrowed, beard and hair shaking, and the man absolutely bloodthirsty.

The frenzied barbarian continued running, wanting to at least trample a Zora or two into the ground, but the damn mermen kept skipping around, avoiding the charge. However, the barbarian leapt at the same time a Zora thrust at his legs. The Zora hopped back, but the warrior, being much taller, managed to chop the tip of his sword into the Zora's forehead, fracturing the skull. The Zora limply fell onto his side, fractured forehead leaking blood like a cracked gutter pipe.

The five other Zora, eager to avenge their friend, all lunged at Morirex, jabbing into his back, legs and arms, anywhere his shield did not cover. The flint-headed spears cut through his boots and sleeves, but not the bearskin. The barbarian spun around, backhanding his shield sideways and disarraying a few spears and then swinging his sword horizontally, though the Zora skipped out of the way to no surprise while sending a jab to the man's face, but all he did was lower his head so that the bearskin muzzle took the spear.

The driver, despite having a hole in his neck, fought on, trying to swing at the legs of the Zora while on the ground, but as always they easily evaded his attacks. Every time he tried to pick himself up, a Zora would quickly ram a spear at him and push him down with it, and then quickly retrieve the spear and hop back to defend against Morirex or the driver. The driver kept trying to cut the Zora but was too old, too heavily armoured, and too slow to strike them. Morirex stood nearby the driver to protect him, though by standing there, the spears would lash out and peck at his shins or back, for the Zora were constantly dancing around to attack from all sides while keeping their distance.

Haavelmo tried to get up to join the fight and help defend the driver, but his injured shin was too much and he fell. The Zora noticed him but left him alone; Morirex was obviously the bigger threat. Haavelmo tried a second time to stand up and failed again. His third attempt gave him great pain and he fell back onto his bottom. His fourth try did better, he resorting to using his shield as a crutch. Before he could do anything significant, while the five Zora fought Morirex, one of the mermen quickly charged Haavelmo. The Norseman, leaning over his shield, pointed his sword like a spear at the incoming Zora. Having the much longer weapon, the Zora spearman simply rammed the spearhead into the man's forehead, who had only waved his sword helplessly in hopes of deflecting the shaft, but was nevertheless speared in the head. He dropped his spear and fell over, shield also falling over, with only half his senses, blood spurting out his skull.

Morirex noticed what happened to Haavelmo, feeling strikes into his shield and legs but ignored them, and the Zora who speared Haavelmo ran back to fight Morirex. The barbarian then shouted his battle cry again, this time so loudly that he made a few Zora flinch, and from that, sprinted forth and bashed his shield into a Zora's front, feeling a few spears jabbing into his ribs, but he nevertheless knocked the Zora he hit over and stabbed the merman in the sternum. The barbarian then placed his own sternum on the back of his pommel, applying body weight over the hilt to drive the sword through the Zora's heart, the merman letting off a vibrating whirring cry, and that was the end of him.

Morirex flicked his sword out sideways, cutting the Zora he killed open and then the momentum causing the blade to swing across the air, but the Zora dodged it easily. One of the mermen thrust his spear into Morirex's forearm, spearhead cutting in-between the two bones and rendering his sword-arm useless for a moment. Morirex kept holding onto the sword, but another Zora quickly grabbed it by the blade and yanked it out his hand. The man pulled his right arm out the spearhead, and then the five mermen stepped up-close, thrusting their spears with all their strength into the barbarian, who put his shield close to himself for protection, feeling the spearheads poking holes into his legs, arms, back and face, skin at his face breaking apart and spurting blood.

Meanwhile, as Morirex fought multiples, the eighteen barbarians who charged down the river ran into the river, hoping to be able to fight, but predictably, the Zora simply swam into the centre of the river and were out of harm's reach. Furious that they could not fight their amphibious enemy, the barbarians shouted insults, bashed the flat of their swords into their shields, gnawed on the rim of their shields, flailed their heads back and forth or forwards and backwards, kicked at the water, and some sheathed their swords to grab stones from the river and throw at the Zora. Skirmishing ensued.

The Zora had prepared this location beforehand, for as they swam down to the riverbed, holes had been dug so that the mound piled against the current, and sticking into the riverbed were javelins and harpoons, as well as sharpened shells piled in the holes. With many weapons prepared, all the Zora had to do was swim down, grab a few, surface, and continue the skirmish, but the projectiles could not pass the shields. Since most of the barbarians stood in the water, the water covered their legs from projectiles as well.

Most Zora skirmished by keeping their distance, swimming towards the other side of the river to throw javelins, harpoons and sharpened clamshells, drawing the men deeper into the water. A few Zora swam along the stream from upriver, to tackle into the legs of the barbarians who went into the water. With speed aided by the flow of the river, two Norsemen lost balance and fell when Zora swam into their legs, but were not deep enough to actually be dragged easily, and other men simply grabbed shoulders and pulled those who fell back up.

Ten barbarians walked out the river, talking about heading for a bridge leading across the river (it led to Kakariko Village) off in the distance down the river, leaving Guomundur and the seven other warriors to stay at the riverside and defend it, but the ten barbarians noticed Morirex and the driver in trouble, as well as Harnack and the Norseman who received a harpoon into the shinbone (Haavelmo).

Morirex fought the four standing Zora by himself with just his shield and feet, though could do little as he was always out of reach, the Zora utilizing the length of their spears while keeping their distance, intending to perforate the man until he bled out. The ten other barbarians thus charged, and the four standing Zora fled.

Morirex quickly finished-off the first Zora he hit in the skull with his shield earlier, stabbing through the neck. The barbarian forced his sword out, blood dripping from the edge, and then checked on the driver. A few men sheathed their swords and helped the heavy man up to his feet now that his attackers fled.

Morirex and the ten barbarians helped the driver walk to the wagon, five barbarians at the back of the group walking backwards with their shields facing the river. Sure enough, several projectiles whizzed at them, either hitting their shields or going into the ground. The driver was put onto the back of the wagon, the old man's neck bleeding. Harnack and Haavelmo were also helped back to the wagon. The five who blocked the projectiles with their shields headed back to the river.

Surprisingly, perhaps thirty Zora heads popped out of the water, floating with the current, and thirty javelins arched through the air and landed on shields or the ground, but more than enough javelins were thrown to stall the barbarians and damage their shields. A few barbarians sheathed their swords, and grabbed the javelins that stuck in the riverbed near them, and they threw them back at the Zora, though the targets were only heads and shoulders, and all missed.

The Zora could also use the water as a means to shield themselves, as buoyancy slowed down projectiles, and the javelins that hit the river gradually floated away, but were grabbed and hurled back at the barbarians! Skirmishing would continue for a while.

The five barbarians who left the river made for the bridge, as it was still a structure useful for defence, and its railings provided some cover. The thirty Zora suddenly disappeared underwater. Guomundur and the seven Norsemen near him walked down the river to head for the bridge, keeping their shields over their right side, just in case of projectiles, which occasioanlly flew their way.

Leaping out like graceful flying fish, several by several, many Zora appeared, twenty leaping out the river on one side, and another twenty leaping out onto the other near the bridge, water flicking and dripping down their lithe frames and fins. Upon hitting the ground, the Zora rolled forwards over their shoulders and stood up, all of them armed with a two-handed spear. The twenty Zora who appeared on the western side of the river landed near the five men making their way to the bridge, and the twenty Zora who landed on the eastern side of the river, landed near the bridge, and they ran over it to guard it.

"Get out of there! They will flank you!" Guomundur shouted, warning the small group of barbarians who were only too eager to get into a fight, but the Zora would reach them before the other barbarians could.


	27. Chapter 26 - Skirmish End

**Chapter 26**

 **Skirmish End**

 _In group strategy, it is important to know how to irritate your adversaries. Launching a violent assault at a place your adversaries have not thought of, before their minds have a chance to stabilize, take the initiative of attack, making the best of this advantage._

 _\- Miyamoto Musashi, extract from Book of Five Rings_

Greatly outnumbering the five Norsemen, the twenty Zora on the western side of the bridge immediately arranged themselves in a zigzag formation, shoulder-to-shoulder, and ran towards the five barbarians, spears formed in a tight wall. The barbarians turned to face the mermen and charged. The eight other Norsemen obviously noticed and ran to help their five friends, though it was inevitable that the Zora would reach the five first. The rest of the men stayed at the wagon remained at it to protect the wounded.

The five men charged into the twenty Zora, feeling spears hit their shields and shins, but the barbarians resisted the polearms and chopped back, sticking their shields out and swinging their swords along the rims of their shields. The Zora spearwall worked and halted the charge, the tightly-packed array of spears firmly gripped, and then the mermen parried swords with their shafts and fins, and soon, using their numbers, broke formation and encircled the five Norsemen.

There was a fast and furious exchange of weapons, blades clattering against shafts, spearheads thudding against shields, but the Zora held their ground firmly and jabbed as fast as they could as many times as they could. They also used their fins to parry or block swords at the cost of getting their fins chipped. Some Zora had their hands cut open during the exchange, but the fight continued regardless.

The many spears soon either hooked over or pushed aside the shields, allowing other Zora spearmen to find openings, either stabbing their spears, or throwing their spears in such a way that as the shafts slid forth, they gripped it by the butt before losing it, retaining the throw on the last moment. The flint spearheads made light wet crunching sounds as they stabbed into ribs and drew blood, forcing the men to grunt and make grimaces as they were poked in all directions.

Two Norseman managed to chop into the chests of two Zora who leaned back to prevent getting hit on the head while extending their spears. The men managed to hit the Zora with the tips of their swords, cutting the mermen's chests open and fracturing a few ribs but not killing them. These wounded Zora gasped and hopped back, getting out of the fight, clutching their wounds.

"Ugh! I got cut open!" one of the injured Zora exclaimed, voice vibrating and whirring.

"Ha! Not so tough face-to-face, hunh?" one of the Norsemen shouted while taking cover behind his shield and being struck in the back by spears, but as was the case, the pelt he wore protected him. The Zora appeared too weak to deliver mortal blows against larger adversaries.

One of the barbarians, upon feeling a spearhead get jammed in-between his ribs when it passed his shield, quickly put himself sideways, so that his right shoulder faced forwards, and while receiving multiple stabs, managed to chop his sword into a Zora, the one who punctured him, and cleft the Zora's head, ending him. The barbarian, having opened himself when he swung his blade, then got stabbed clean through the neck by a spear, splitting the spinal cord, which felled him. The Zora ripped his spear out the neck and continued jabbing in rapid pokes as quickly as he could at the other men.

The four remaining barbarians here were quickly overcome by sheer numbers. They were surrounded and attacked from all directions into the head, body, legs and arms, receiving many jabs to the face that broke cheekbones, split lips, cracked teeth, and punctured necks. The eyes were also targeted, spearheads digging into the rim of eye sockets, causing great pain. Regardless, those who became blind in one eye continued bashing with their shields and swinging their swords in a last attempt to free themselves, but already wounded in all their limbs and heads, there was little they could. Spears repeatedly poked into their bodies, gradually shredding their pelts and clothes, making "chk" sounds as they entered, cutting through skin, flesh, muscles and reaching bones audibly. Adrenaline was pumping so much that the barbarians felt little pain. Injuries in their arms prevented the men from holding up their shields, opening their necks and faces to further injury.

One Zora aligned his elbow so that his fin went over the top of a shield, hooking over it, and jumping up, used his body weight and fin hooked over the shield to bring it down. Then, he thrust his spear downwards from above into the man's collarbone, and a few other Zora instantly stabbed into the man's face and neck now that he was made vulnerable. The Zora were simply too fast and too precise, and since they fought seemingly naked, their speed and mobility were maximized.

One of the men to the right managed to get passed the spears for a moment, receiving several spears into the legs and shield, but he ignored the attacks and swung at the mermen. Facing many opponents at the time, he was attacked from all directions, especially his right arm, which held his sword, feeling the flint-tipped spears poking and cutting through skin and flesh, reaching the bone. He continued hacking and slashing desperately as best as possible, but was nevertheless stabbed from several spears, held in place, and stabbed by more spears. Within seconds, the Zora overpowered the four barbarians to the ground with their spears, and promptly incapacitating them.

Having dealt with the five barbarians swiftly and aggressively, the Zora split into two groups and ran away before Guomundur and his comrades could reach them, and they plunged into the river, leaving the dead Zora behind, and the two who had their chests cut open would stop fighting and swim away. The twenty Zora at the bridge readied themselves. Since the bridge was arched, it gave them a height advantage.

Farther up the river, one of the Zora emerged, the one with an angular face and shark-nose, crawling onto the riverbank to take a look, and he had a weird feeling. He looked to the side and spotted Luna just a foot away, sitting in the grass and looking pathetic, still hurt by the trampling she received. The Zora was puzzled for a few heartbeats, the Kokiri and Zora looking at each other blankly, pink eyes gazing into black eyes, water dripping down the Zora's frame, his wet scales shimmering in the evening sunlight. He smiled to Luna, then stood up to continue the fight.

The barbarians obviously noticed the angular-faced Zora and ran after him. The Zora ran around them, playing with them, for no matter how hard they tried, he always danced around them. He was not doing anything, unarmed, just being a distraction. After perhaps twenty seconds of dodging, parrying swords with his fins, and evading men, even grabbing a man's shield with both hands and putting it in his way to prevent him from being able to attack, the Zora let go of the shield and ran off, diving back into the river.

"That's right, you run!" one of the barbarians spat, and then this group continued running towards the Zora up ahead at the bridge.

Back at the wagon, the five unwounded men sheathed their swords and took javelins from the wagon, one of them getting the bow, stringing it, nocking an arrow, and shooting it at the Zora near the bridge, but missed. The Zora at the bridge noticed the archer and four men with javelins in their hands, the four skirmishers running towards the bridge to regroup with Guomundur and his seven men, as well as to throw the iron-tipped javelins at close-range.

Morirex and Harnack joined the charge despite their wounds, faces bloody, but the driver and Haavelmo stayed at the wagon due to their wounds. The archer released another arrow, aiming for a Zora, who sidestepped and dodged the arrow without too much trouble. The arrow hit a nearby tree trunk, shaft bending and then snapping, leaving half the arrow lodged in the bark.

Not having shields or armour, the Zora at the bridge decided to spread apart along the riverside, so that they were more difficult to hit. Guomundur and his group, many having at least a few projectiles stuck in their shields and giving them extra weight annoyingly, charged the Zora, who instinctively threw their spears at the group of men nearest to them. The thrown spears thudded against the shields, shafts then falling down but with spearheads still embedded in the shields, causing the butts to dig into the earth and slow down the barbarians.

One spear flew forth, shaft bouncing across the upper rim of Morirex's shield, increasing its altitude, and the spear arched over and hit the ground. Morirex quickly dropped his sword, grabbed the spear, and threw it back at the Zora, then retrieved his sword. The spear he threw landed beside the frightened Luna, who remained put this entire time, too hurt and too afraid to do anything. She looked at the spear, wondering what would have happened if it actually hit her. The archer near the wagon released another arrow, which missed, as the Zora near the arrow's path simply leaned out of its way.

Seventeen Zora from the other group reemerged and drifted along the river, and threw harpoons, javelins and sharpened shells into the flank of Guomundur and his group, but really only hurt them if the projectiles hit their lower back or behind the legs. A few Norsemen here spun around, dropping their swords, grabbing harpoons or javelins, and threw them back at the Zora, who obviously sunk underwater to avoid them. The Norsemen picked up their swords and charged the Zora at the bridge.

The four barbarians with javelins, Morirex, and Harnack ran as fast as they could, noticing the Zora at the bridge were fleeing yet again. The barbarians with javelins threw them, though they all missed their targets, only hitting the earth, the Zora too nimble and too agile. The bowman shot another arrow, at least hitting a Zora in the back as he fled, grunted from the pain but he dove into the river as did the others. The archer shot another arrow, missed. He quickly nocked another arrow, pushing the shaft forwards and outstretching his arm, and then let go, shooting the arrow. It found its mark into the female Zora's shoulder blade just as she was about to plunge, so she basically ended up flopping into the water like a dying fish, but at least she escaped the barbarians as they swung their swords at the fleeing Zora, only cutting air.

The five injured Norsemen left on the ground were all grievously wounded, essentially becoming fleshy pincushions. Harnack, Morriex and four other men stayed behind to help them, while the others pursued the Zora, to buy time so that the wounded could be dragged or carried to safety and protected.

The Zora seemed to swim up the river, probably to get to the holes they dug and rearm themselves, and so the barbarians followed, this time staying together! The Zora frequently resurfaced here and there, throwing a jevelin, harpoon, sharpened clamshell, or a stone, to keep the skirmishing going, though by this time, they were running out of projectiles for sure. Some Norsemen kept their swords sheathed so that they could wrench javelins and harpoons out their shields, to throw back at the Zora, trying anything to at least scare them away. All combatants were winded, others losing the will to fight.

A dozen Zora surfaced and whipped harpoons at the pursuing barbarians as usual, who ran into the river, hoping they could reach the mermen before they swam away, though that did not happen; the Zora could swim as fast as sharks in no-time and off they went.

"Forget this, let's regroup at the wagon! If they want to fight us, let them face us like men!" Guomundur shouted angrily, and half the men near him obeyed, and he and they withdrew towards the wagon while keeping their shields raised to the river.

Several other barbarians refused to give up the fight and continued the skirmish, walking along the river furiously and banging their swords and shields together, some sheathing their swords and throwing rocks at the mermen. A few Zora surfaced again and resorted to throwing stones and sharpened shells, so they probably ran out of javelins, though the simple projectiles did little for either side. The barbarians shouted at the Zora, calling them out to fight, though the challenge was refused as always, and the Zora simply disappeared under the water.

Coincidentally, the barbarians happened to walk near Luna, who had remained on her bottom and did not know what to do. She obviously wanted to escape, but was too hurt from the barbarians' feet earlier, and still too scared to even move. She just sat there, palms on the grass, and blood leaking down her face. She had a bleeding nose and split eyebrow. Looking down upon the helpless albino girl with a bleeding face. Luna just sat there, twitching side to side every few seconds, breathing in odd struggling patterns, heart smashing her rib cage, chest feeling hollow, eyes wide-open, afraid and clueless.

Luna looked up at the grown-ups with her pale face and big pink eyes, shaking like a leaf in the wind. She then peed herself; she just couldn't hold it in anymore, fear relieving her bladder for her. Luna's face turned into a giant scrunched-up cherry, and she just covered her mouth with her hands, sat up, held her breath, and felt her eyes get hot and wet. The worst was feeling her pants getting warm, which gave her great shame and discomfort. The barbarians were kind enough to look away, scanning the river.

"The mermen even attack children?" one of the Norsemen asked, assuming that had happened.

"Pff, look how they fight! No wonder they would harm a child! They are only brave when they outnumber someone, or see little ones. Disgusting creatures, they gave us a beating, but at least we killed two of them." another remarked.

"Don't just stand there, help the stupid kid!" Guomundur shouted angrily from the background, overhearing the talking.

Instinctively, the barbarians arranged themselves around the girl to protect her with their shields. Luna covered herself with an arm from fright and rolled onto her back, letting off a pathetic squeak, expecting to get chopped to pieces. One of the barbarians, who wore a Wolfos pelt of which Luna gazed at sadly through her hair, sheathed his sword and slung his shield over the shoulders, and grabbed Luna under the arms.

"Uhh!" Luna cried aloud, placing her forearms in front of herself and making short rapid breaths. The man picked her up, and carried her as if she were a baby.

"Shh, little lady, we're going to get you safe." the barbarian whispered, Luna feeling completely useless. The barbarians walked away from the river, many facing the river with shields raised while walking backwards. Sure enough, a few Zora resurfaced and threw harpoons, which bounced off the shields insignificantly.

"Come on, hurry up! Get the child in the wagon and give her food and water, she looks like she'll die of fright!" Morirex instructed, running to the scene, and the barbarian who carried Luna mounted the wagon and put her in it. The skirmish finally ended with no clear winner.


	28. Chapter 27 - Across the Field

**Chapter 27**

 **Across the Field**

 _That moon-like brightness might none behold,_

 _Nor brook undaunted great Eric's brow:_

 _As fiery_ serpent _his flashing eyes shot starry radiance stern and keen._

 _\- Egil's Saga, extract from Egil's poem about Lord Arinbjorn_

All violence now ceased. Overall, two barbarians had been slain, one was assumed to have drowned, and eight sustained considerate wounds, but five were seriously wounded when the Zora rammed their spears repeatedly into them. Harnack, the redhead barbarian with a full beard who wore a wolf's pelt, had head injuries, and his scalp bled. Morirex, who had blonde hair and a braided beard, donning a bearskin, had wounds on the face and all limbs. Haavelmo had received a harpoon to the shinbone. The driver had neck injuries when the Zora spearmen stabbed into his neck. The barbarians managed to kill two Zora men and wounded two others, though they escaped.

The barbarian who put Luna in the wagon wore a Wolfos pelt, having went into the wagon as well, holding Luna carefully, feeling the skinny girl's ribs, she shaking like a leaf and always looking away. The barbarian placed Luna upon a small crate, knelt, and then patted her on the head softly. She rolled her shoulders briefly and quickly, clearly not wanting to be touched.

"You're safe now, little ljosalfr, safe from the mermen. I am surprised they did not grab you, drag you into the river, and drown you, have you for dinner!" the barbarian joked, poking Luna in the ribs, she leaning away. "But I suppose you are too skinny for them." he joked again, but she made no reaction, just looking off to the side with a sad face, nose runny, big eyes shiny, and shaking.

The barbarian, noticing his little joke did nothing, leaned to the side and passed Luna a towel. He then opened a sack, looking sideways and seeing Luna lift an arm and rub her nose with her sleeve. Taking out a small loaf of rye bread and a skin of water, the barbarian passed them to Luna, but she did not take anything, making no reaction. So, the man placed the bread and skin of water beside Luna, smiling and nodding, and then left the wagon, shield and scabbard shuffling. Luna watched him hop onto the grass and walk away. She sniffled, placing the towel over her lap, and then looked at her bread, but did not touch it. It reminded her of when Elmo gave her bread.

"How's the kid, Aakesson?" Guomundur asked, who was standing nearby. A few other barbarians overheard and looked interested.

"Sad and shaky, I don't blame her. I left her alone with some bread and water." the man in the Wolfos pelt replied, then looked at the wounded men, the driver sitting up and holding his skull as it bled, "Master Eric?"

"I am fine!" the driver barked back, not wanting to let his age and wounds make him appear helpless. "Go help bury Ragnar and Olaf, they deserve that much." he ordered, so Aakesson went off to do just that.

The two slain Norsemen were buried near the river in all their equipment, swords and daggers sheathed, and shields atop them, alongside the two dead Zora and their flint-headed spears. The drowned man's body was not found. The barbarians (including Guomundur and Aakesson) who were not too wounded or unwounded helped in the burial. The other Zora did not return, but the Norsemen kept an eye out for them anyways.

"Alright, who is left? One of us drowned, as I cannot find a floating body along the river..." one of the barbarians said, and then they began looking around. After some talking, eventually found out who was missing, and so that would be the one who drowned.

"Sleipnir is the one missing, he must have drowned." Guomundur remarked, and that news was taken with sadness.

"He never even had a chance to fight, but I am sure he fought until he could breathe no more against the mermen." a Norsemen remarked, looking at the river. The men remained quiet as they paid their respects to the fallen.

Meanwhile, Luna remained in the wagon, doing what she could to dry herself of her little accident. Eventually, she ate some of her bread, slowly, arms feeling like jelly as she held the loaf in both hands, nibbling on the bread as if every little bite was the last one. The Kokiri was still shaking and crying a little, rubbing her nose with her sleeve once in a while. Then, something caught her eye. She turned to the side, noticing a shiny blue orb in a leather bag, having an aura that actually shone through the bag. Luna finished the bread in her mouth, put her bread down on the crate she sat on, and went to investigate, feeling calmer by the rise of curiosity.

Untying the bag and opening it, Luna found a shiny, bright blue orb inside. It was amongst some blue rupees, her big bright pink eyes, still shiny from teardrops, reflecting the blueness emanating from within the bad. As she stared curiously, a teardrop rolled down the side of her face, the last to fall from her eyes. The glowing bright blue orb was as big as Luna's head, though she didn't know what it was. Upon hearing footfall, she paused, and looked out the wagon.

"Snooping around, kiddo?" Aakesson asked with a chuckle, having finished burying the dead and came back to check on Luna, noticing the partly-eaten loaf of bread on the crate. Luna let go of the bag and stood up straight emotionlessly, and just stared back, arms down her sides.

"Well, Eric wants to go to the castle town, do some trading and trust-building. I don't know if you understand me, but do you live around here? Are are you a runaway? Well, we can't really help you, see if we can take you back to your home. Or, if you are a runaway or orphan, maybe an orphanage, church or monastery, some place to take you; we will try to find a home for you. We can't just leave you out here all alone. But we can't take you with us back to our homeland, the trek is too dangerous for a child." he continued, Luna walking back and sitting on the crate. The man smacked his hand against the back of the wagon and walked away, smiling to Luna, signalling that they would be looking for a home for her.

The wounded were bandaged up, and the five who were seriously wounded were helped onto the wagon, three lying down near the middle, and those at the sides sitting up with their backs against the wall. Haavelmo, having a punctured shinbone and so unable to walk very well, sat at the ledge of the wagon, letting his legs hang above the ground.

Luna felt uneasy. She did not like being around grown-ups, especially ones that did not have the characteristic broad forehead and large eyes so common in this world. She examined the bloodied bandages and wrappings on the injured men, finding a strong dislike to the animal skins they wore, but she kept staring at the blood. She was more afraid of the pelts than the men. There was something quite haunting about the lifeless skins of animals, how their heads were just flaps hanging over. She imagined what the skin of a human would look when worn like that.

Feeling uncomfortable, Luna just on her crate sideways, shoulders low, wanting to be as far away as possible from the men. She knew they meant her no harm, but just didn't want to look at them. She was thinking about the violence she had seen, how the strange amphibious beings stabbed their spears and threw their projectiles, and how both sides shed blood.

Staring into the wall like a bored Redead, Luna soon slugged down the crate, nearly losing balance, and overhearing a few men chuckle. That reminded Luna of when Vera hit her really hard long ago, and the reactions of the Kokiri, their staring, that one boy who chuckled, Vera's hatred, all that staring... Luna shuddered from such unhappy memories. Eventually sitting on the floor as if nothing happened, Luna hugged her knees and stared at the wall as if bored and sad.

Soon, all horses were readied and harnessed up, Eric still the driver, now with a bandaged head. The wagon soon rode on, the barbarians walking behind loosely side by side one another. Luna felt the wagon shake a little, hearing the wheels roll, and turned her head, watching the men marching. Aakesson and Guomundur were at the front, minding their own business, those walking talking about the day and exchanging stories and mild jokes about the lives of Ragnar and Olaf, to loosen up after the violence and loss of those three comrades.

"...Remember when Olaf went fishing with Sleipnir, and a hawk flew into his face and stole his fish?" a Norseman asked, and many of them chuckled, acknowledging that funny day.

"Maybe I should not say this, but Ragnar once went home and caught his wife cheating on him, but then his wife became furious and beat him up!" Guomundur said, and some laughed at that.

"Grotta was quite the powerful woman! When she was young, she could carry a boy on her shoulders." Aakesson remarked happily from that memory, probably referring to himself when he spoke of a boy Grotta carried, and others shared various experiences of Ragnar and Olaf, laughing and sharing their memories of the dead men.

"Sleipnir, Olaf and Ragnar died bravely, they will feast at Valhalla very soon!" Haavelmo exclaimed.

The wagon rode over a hole and bounced from it, Luna gasping and raising her shoulders from that, the bounce nearly causing Haavelmo to fall out of the wagon. The other men, and the two wounded men sitting, chuckled from what happened. Luna almost chuckled herself, too, but held it in, too shy to let her emotions show.

Luna did plan to simply jump out the wagon after finishing her bread, but now that she was with six other men, and then those walking outside, made her too nervous to do anything. Not wanting to be seen as weak, she toughened up, pulling the tears back. She did not know why, but she felt safer in the wagon, despite feeling so uncomfortable. These grown-ups clearly were not here to hurt her, but as hard men accustomed to violence, the sight of a little girl reminded them of their families, what they loved, and softened them. The idea of being around dangerous grown-ups, who meant her no harm, was something Luna struggled to comprehend. These foreigners were bad, and bad people do bad things.

Not wanting to be stared at, Luna looked away, examining the luggage, looking at the back of the driver's head, and then looking at his mail shirt that resisted all stabs by the mermen. The mesh of interconnected rings was quite strange for Luna, who had never seen such a thing. She wondered what it was, and suddenly, forgot about everything and paid attention to those patterns of iron wire.

After some time, the wagon rode through the farmlands during sunset, where meadows became wheat fields, and livestock replaced wild animals. Luna could hear the wheat rustling in the wind, reminding her of the wheat fields of Kokiri Forest. She thought about home, how the children used to play, laugh and work with their fairies, tools working away, just like here.

Luna did not see many farmers, but was surprised to find that they used tools similar to her kin, but much larger, of course. She sometimes saw horses, donkeys, oxen, cows or goats being used to pull plows, animals she never saw before. It seemed the farmers were finishing the day's work under the setting sun, the sky orange and rosy, clouds and sun rays stretching across the horizon.

As the wagon rode on, the driver rubbed his face, nose sniffling, and then he turned his head. He noticed that Luna stood beside him, staring out the wagon, and gazing between he and the side of the wagon. Luna was curious about the world, head slightly lifted, big pink eyes shiny, wind blowing her white hair around; she was looking up. Luna's lips parted as an incredible sight appeared in the distance: Hyrule Castle. That immense structure of stone and towers was much taller than the castle town below. Luna never had much of a reaction when she first gazed upon the castle, but now that she was so much closer, she could see it better, and it was majestic.

"Hm-hm!" Eric chuckled without opening his mouth, and left Luna to her amazement.

The wagon suddenly stopped at a homestead, snapping Luna out of her trance, she gasping, losing balance, and fell off the wagon, landing beside a horse face-down, which turned his head and looked at her with one eye. Eric, being an old man, did not notice Luna fell, and he dismounted the wagon at the other side, opposite from Luna, without noticing what happened to her. The other Norsemen looked relieved to have a break. Harnack released the horses from the wagon and allowed them walk around, eat grass, and meet with the very few horses nearby the farmlands here. A few Hylian women came to greet the Norsemen, and fed apples to the Nordic horses, Harnack chatting with the ladies.

While families farmed in the area, a dozen or so children ran to the wagon to see what it was, curious and nervous at the sight of the foreigners. Luna lifted her face off the ground, grass in her mouth, which she spat out. She then picked herself up until on both knees, and began shaking her hands in her hair to get the grass and earthly matter off, feeling her overly long sleeves flopping around. When she felt clean, she moved her hair out of her face, and noticed that a group of five children had formed nearby amidst the stalks of wheat, and were staring at her motionlessly.

Luna paused, remaining on her knees. She stared back at the kids, who reminded her of the Kokiri, and she did not like them. The five children consisted of two boys, two girls, and a toddler boy, all of the boys wearing trousers, buttoned-up shirts with the sleeves rolled back, and straw hats, whereas the girls wore dresses, as was the custom of this land.

"Hi." a young boy greeted slowly, and then a squirrel appeared, having run around his body and then sat on his shoulder. "Oh, hi Knut." the young boy exclaimed with a smile, giving his pet squirrel a pat on the head. The squirrel then searched the pockets of the boy's shirt, probably for food.

"Squirrel! Gimme!" the toddler squealed, jumping up and down, trying to grab the squirrel, but the boy pushed the annoying toddler away, and the two got into a slight scuffle that no one really cared about.

"Stop fighting you two." one of the girls whined, putting her hands on her hips and slightly tilting at the fighting boys.

"Hey!" the other girl squeaked aloud suddenly, pointing at Luna with a beaming face, "You're like from the stories... green clothes... You're a fairy child!" she continued, which made the other Hylian children suddenly stop what they were doing, even the two fighting boys stopped fighting, and all the kids stared at Luna attentively.

Luna stared at the ground for a second, and then picked herself up, brushing her pants with her long sleeves. However, she did not want to say anything, even as the Hylian kids waited for her to say something.

Meanwhile, Eric had wandered around talking to the adults, asking them if they knew of a runaway child, but Luna did not care what he was talking about. The farmers were rather nervous to speak to the Norseman, as these barbarians were armed with swords and shields, but no violence came. Eric continued talking to various adults, and the farmers spoke to other farmers if anyone knew anything about a lost child, a runaway, or anything about any outlanders running around. So far, there was nothing of the sort.

"So... are you from the forest, or what?" the boy who had not spoken yet asked.

"Yes." Luna answered, making the kids more curious about her.

"Oh! So you, you are, uh, you are a fairy child!" the previous girl exclaimed excitedly, lifting a forearm for a moment.

Luna shook her head, "No. Do I look like I have a fairy?"

That reply surprised the girl, who paused with her excited face still on, but it quickly lost its curiosity, and the child's face sank into confusion. She cocked her head, furrowed her eyebrows, and looked at the other kids for a moment, then looked back at Luna. The albino Kokiri girl stared without breaking eye contact or even blinking, the setting sun reflecting in her giant pink eyes, so similar to the pink sky of sunset. The boy with the pet squirrel on his shoulder turned around and looked at the sunset for a moment, his pet squirrel digging into his breast pocket.

"Well, you're not from around here, are you? I've never seen you, so who are you?" the curious girl asked pleasantly, leaning forwards and clasping her hands, eagerly awaiting a good response.

"None of your business." Luna replied plainly, giving the kids another little surprise. The curious girl's hands dropped to her sides.

"You don't like talking much, hunh?" the toddler asked with his high-pitched voice. Luna did not reply.

"Hmph! If you act like that, you'll never have friends." the other girl stated, one hand on her hip and other arm waving, as if she was already a mother!

"I don't talk to stupid kids." Luna assured, then walked along the wagon, away from the kids, who did not know how to react.

"I guess she's just grumpy." a boy said with a shrug.

Luna walked towards the Norsemen, without thinking. She was no longer afraid of them, wanting to make a statement to those annoying kids, and her will to do just that killed all fear and uneasiness. Luna approached the barbarians with a lifted chin, staring at the grown-ups confidently.

"Oh, hello little lady." Aakesson greeted once he noticed little Luna suddenly appear, a few other men turning to look at her, many of them pleased.

Luna opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She stopped, ignoring the men for now, and turned her head, to look back at the five kids, noticing that they had gone back to work by this time. Luna looked away, putting one set of fingertips to her mouth, furrowed her eyebrows, and looked to the side, wondering what to say, what to do. The five kids looked back at Luna for a moment, all at the same time, then a few of the Norsemen looked at the kids, who looked away, so Aakesson looked back at Luna.

"Do you want to play with the little ones?" Aakesson asked Luna, which irritated her.

"No, I'm not playing with stupid kids." Luna replied sternly, eyes darting to the side as if she hated those other children, but she did not turn her head. Her reply made most of the barbarians chuckle, for they did not expect such an answer from such a sweet-looking a child.

"Well, aren't you a wild little brat?" Guomundur remarked, and he noticed Luna make a small smile for a moment, and he tilted his head slightly from that, and crossed his arms. "You have no time for childhood, hm? You look like a little girl who wants to be a little warrior. When we fought the mermen, you did not flee, even though you were afraid. You kept your ground, you little warrior." he continued, and Luna liked his words, but managed to keep her face locked without emotion. She noticed Eric coming back alone, so most barbarians looked at their leader.

"The ljosalfar here don't know anything about runaway children or lost little ones. We will have to keep asking." the driver said.

"We will have to look for adults who wear the same clothes as she does. The girls and women here wear dresses, this little one does not. She is tired and thin, so obviously she comes from far away, probably from the city or that town with the spinning house. We will check that town afterwards." Eric said, and at that, he and Harnack got the horses together, connected them to the wagon. The wounded remained inside the wagon, but Luna did not go back into the wagon. Eric took his seat on the wagon and got ready to continue driving.

"Need help going back in the wagon?" Aakesson asked Luna.

"No, I'll walk." Luna replied without even looking at Aakesson.

"You sure?" Aakesson asked.

"Yes." Luna answered.

"Are you really sure?" Aakesson asked again.

"Yes."

"But are you really, really sure?"

"Yes."

"Can you really walk?"

"Yes!" Luna shouted, and overheard several of the Norsemen chuckle, which was annoying for her, so she made an angry face but did not look at anyone.

"Ha ha! Very well, you can walk with us, just like a big girl." Aakesson commented with a smile and a nod, Luna not wanting to even look at him. Soon, the wagon rolled on, and everyone followed, Luna wondering if the kids she met would be looking at her, but she did not check, and did not care.

Luna did feel some regret for being such a crybaby in the wagon, and wondered why she was even acting like that. She did not want to be viewed as weak, and felt better to be walking with the grown-ups, warriors who were dangerous and brave, exactly like she wanted to be. One day, she would become like them.


	29. Chapter 28 - To the Castle Town

**Chapter 28**

 **To the Castle Town**

 _Now we have to name more men in the Saga._

 _\- extract from The Story of Thórðr Hreða_

The wagon rolled along, with Luna and the barbarians walked behind it. The men continued talking about this and that, but Luna did not pay attention, instead watching the wheat, grass, flowers, insects, small birds, field mice, rocks, various shrubs, and the farmers off in the distance here and there. The farmlands beyond Hyrule Castle town were dotted with various homesteads and hamlets here and there, which were quite different from the homes Luna was accustomed to.

While walking, Luna sometimes heard barking dogs, children laughing while working, chickens clucking and their chicks squeaking as they were fed by maidens, cows mooing, goats braying, sheep baaing, birds chirping, wheat and small plants rustling, scything, raking, haying, and a distant blacksmith hammering away somewhere. Seemed like everyone was finishing the last of their duties for sunset. Some of the scenery reminded Luna of Kokiri Forest, yet everything she saw felt so different. She just wanted to keep the violence she had witnessed off her mind.

Luna would sometimes stick an arm out, so that her arm moved across the wheat heads as she walked. At times, she felt nervous to be around the Norsemen, feeling that constant pulse of bad thoughts always in her head, but she felt so much stronger to walk with them, and the countryside and all its associated sounds had a welcoming feel.

As Luna walked, a cat appeared, a young white cat with pink eyes. The little cat crossed paths with Luna, and the two looked at one another. The cat meowed at Luna, then scurried away through the stalks of wheat. Luna smiled.

The travelling continued as the sun began to disappear behind the horizon. Whenever the wagon reached a homestead or groups of farmers, Eric would bring his horses to a halt, and then meet the homeowners or farmers, to inquire about Luna. He would point to her and then talk about her, asking them if they knew her, or knew anything about her, but he was always empty-handed. No one seemed to know anything about Luna, but a kind elderly couple had spoken with Eric, purposing they would take Luna with them. So Eric went to Luna to talk to her about just that. He approached Luna as she knelt over some flowers, playing with the grasshoppers on them, though they jumped away.

"Hey, girl, an old couple says they can take you in their home, raise you as their kid." Eric said, but Luna made no reaction, so Eric stepped closer to her, leaning down to her. Luna noticed his shadow and made a high-pitch gasp, standing upright and spinning around. "Oh, did I scare you? I am sorry, little one. There is an old couple who say they can bring you into their home."

Luna stared back blankly with her usual empty look. She then saw a group of young girls, happily and greedily picking pears from a tree on the old couple's property, putting them into baskets. The old couple stared at the girls gladly, finding the sight pleasing. Eric turned and saw that, too, then looked back at Luna, and she looked back at him.

"Are you confused? The old couple over there," Eric said, gesturing to the old couple, "they want to take you into their home, raise you as one of their children. They offered to adopt you." Eric continued, but Luna was clueless, which surprised Eric. "You know, live with them." he continued, moving his arms to gesture to the old couple, mail shirt jingling when he did so, and the old couple looked concerned but pleased, standing a short distance away. There was just silence for a few seconds, some of the Norsemen nearby awaiting Luna's reply.

But there was nothing, Luna remained silent and rather confused. Several more uneasy seconds passed in this awkward moment, the girls picking pears gathering the fruit joyously, sometimes jumping to grab onto the lower branches and so shake them to make the pears fall down.

"Sounds like she doesn't want to go." Morirex remarked, who was leaning against the side of the wagon eating an apple, and then waved his hand to scare away a wasp buzzing around him. Luna watched the wasp fly away, recalling the time when much larger wasps chased her, Vera, Kibou and Nina, and how Kibou got stung.

"Very well, I take it that means you do not want to be with them. I will tell them." Eric said, and he did just that, the old couple rather disappointed by the news, but they accepted it.

"So, she doesn't want to be with us, then? That's too bad. Our own daughter died long ago, a few days after she was born. We never had the chance to raise a child, we wanted to name our daughter Luna." the old woman said sadly, a failed mother, her old husband putting an arm over her shoulders to comfort her.

"We must respect the child's decision. But beware, outlander, the cast town is a dangerous place, there are riots and strange things going on lately." the old man cautioned.

"Yes, I have lost three men so far, this land is full of surprises. So many things here that my homeland does not have." Eric remarked.

The same problem persisted a few times regarding Luna's situation. Every once in a while, some farmers would offer to take Luna into their home, to raise her as one of their own children, moved by the prospect of a child who had somehow stumbled upon the unknown and was lost, without anyone who knew her. But, every time, Luna did not say anything, looking confused, irritating Eric, who could not get her to talk or do anything besides walk with the wagon when it drove. Luna was rather annoying.

"Looks like she's with us for a while longer." Guomundur remarked with a shrug.

"Looks like she wants to be a ghost." Aakesson chuckled, which caused Luna to look at him for a second and think about that.

Once the sun was almost totally behind the horizon, split by the turrets of Hyrule Castle and the steeple of the Temple of Time, the Norsemen reached the outer section of the castle town, where there were various homes and stores. The town had expanded into the field and around the adjacent geography of the area.

There was some damage along the buildings here and there, such as broken windows, burnt sections, and petty vandalism. Most citizens wore better clothes than the farmers did, unsurprisingly. The streets had some activity, people walking about, getting ready to finish the day, some carrying various things such as carpets, baskets, bundles of firewood, and such generic things that were important yet typical.

The road led through the middle of the town, eventually reaching the river which was also the moat, and behind the river, was the gatehouse (drawbridge down), the walls, and the towers. The gatehouse led to the inner city, a place with better buildings often belonging to the middle classes, and after that, Hyrule Castle stood upon a hilltop. The castle stood over the inner and outer city, not having to cast a shadow to serve as a constant reminder of where power and authority resided.

The wagon neared the edge of the town, and sure enough, was confronted by a dozen town guards, six at each side of the road, all of them clean-shaven and more muscular than the citizenry, and their lean faces were significantly less babyish than the commoners'. The guards wore short but long-sleeved mail shirts each with an integrated coif, greaves worn over leather boots but having straps reinforced with mail at the back, mail swatches to cover the top of the feet, vambraces, demi-gauntlets, and some sort of burgonet with a brow that extended over the top of the face, but was without a bevor or a mounted visor. The helmet also had a stalk at the top where a very small plumed ornament sat (the helm was worn over the coif). The front of the helm was engraved with the Triforce, with additional engravings of symbols around and below it.

The style of breastplate was odd, consisting of a horizontally placed plate that only protected the upper chest, strapped around the back, and then a vertically placed narrow plackart, pierced with holes along the edge so that the mail links connected into them. The top of the front of the breastplate was also gilded with a small symbol of the Triforce, which were three golden triangles, two underneath and supporting one.

The greaves were engraved with the symbol of the Triforce as well, one at the top, and one at the bottom but upside-down for some reason. They also had an arming sword and dagger sheathed in their sword-belt, an addition in weapons since the days when Hyrule was invaded over twenty years ago.

Overall, their armour was practical and gave them freedom of movement. Since the guards left their thighs unarmoured and only wore shorts, they could run without too much trouble, useful for chasing after criminals or bandits whilst also having decent protection. They held spears that seemed to have spearheads tanged into the shaft, as the spearheads had no sockets, but a few soldiers wielded halberds. One guard had a great sword slung over the shoulders, and in his hands carried a notebook.

With the twelve guards was a captain, also clean-shaven, a large, muscular man who had similar equipment as the other guards. However, the captain's breastplate was larger and wholly gilded. He wore a helmet that looked like a one-piece gilded Spangenhelm that was brimless but had a short extension at the back, and a reddish-orange, rather small, backwards-pointing tail-plume, gilded greaves, and gloves that reached his elbows that had vambraces of iron scales encircling the forearm. Beneath his armour, he wore a grey short-sleeved gambeson. He did not wear any mail anywhere, but wore black shorts with a gold lining at the ends of the sleeves. His boots were white but had black fronts and tops.

At the captain's sword-belt was an ornate longsword. He also had a cinquedea sheathed horizontally at the back of his belt. A cinquedea was kind of short blade that was very broad at the base and tapered to a rounded tip, with a blade and hilt ornately engraved and gilded. A smaller cinquedea was sheathed at his other side.

The captain approached the driver, who leaned over while sitting, putting his elbows on his knees. The guard captain stroked one of the horses' neck with his hand, then looked at the driver. Faces stern and beshadowed faces wary, the two groups of six guards attentively stood watch.

"Good evening! Normally we are more welcoming to foreigners, but life has gotten hectic lately. We would like to know your business, your names, and inspect your cargo, for security." the captain said. The guard with the notebook walked towards the wagon.

"Very well." Eric said, lifting a hand briefly and then leaning over his knees, looking down upon the guard from the wagon. "I am Eric. With me are my men: Guthram, Elfgar, Aelric, Harnack, Saelthorsson, Orgetorix, Guomundur, Riepsaame, Morirex, Reingardis, Kjeldsen, Aakesson, Hanhavaldi, Ljungovist, Risvaag, Cynfawr, Palomaki, Harold, and Adalgard. Three others, Ragnar, Olaf and Sleipnir, were killed by mermen earlier today, hence why we look bloodied and tired. Also, with us is a lost, quiet, small girl, who survived the merman attack. We are hoping to find her a home." Eric explained. The guard wrote down the names in his notebook, though considering his pauses, he seemed unfamiliar with the names, and so probably wrote them down however he could in his own language.

The other barbarians looked to the sides, watching the guards warily, ready to sprint to action at any second. The guards gripped their spears or halberds, and the barbarians kept their right hand on their hilt. The foreigners were quiet, but ready, as were the guards, neither side trusting the other. Some of the guards were relaxed, butts of their polearms on the ground, one hand on their side, and they coolly standing tall and firmly, though the Norsemen were considerably taller than the Hylians.

The Norsemen sometimes turned their shoulders slowly, hearing the guard with the notebook walking around the wagon, making notes, such as the number of horses, the number of men, and their equipment. His footfall continued, and he fearlessly and rather carelessly walked behind the wagon, none of the Norsemen stepping aside to allow him space. This was noticed by most guards, some of whom titled their heads, two guards glancing at one another beneath their helms.

"Be sure to check their cargo, Valioh." the guard captain called.

"I know." the guard with the notebook called back boringly, several Norsemen watching him closely as he walked among them. Valioh looked back at them for a second, wondering what their problem was.

Looking in their wagon, those sitting inside looking back, the guard made a few notes, one of the barbarians stepping forth and being behind the guard closely. Luna stayed still, stern and quiet, mimicking the barbarians and keeping an eye out on the guards.

"Ah, Gerudo shamshirs. I heard those blades can divide a man into two parts." the notebook guard mentioned upon noticing the curved swords, and then he finished jotting notes, and took his leave as if nothing happened.

"Did you check inside their wagon?" the guard captain asked aloud.

"Yup. They're good to go." Valioh replied plainly, dropping his arms hang loosely. At that, the barbarians went into the town, the guards stepping aside.

The wagon drove on, the barbarians and Luna walking behind. Several guards were surprised to see Luna, watching her go.

"Oh? They did have a kid with them." the guard with a notebook remarked, "I didn't even see her."

"Neither did I, hunh! It's like she formed from thin air." a halberdier said, surprised, a few other guards murmuring about Luna, but she just ignored them, moving a hand through her hair.

"Yeah, I guess I'll write down ghost girl here, too." the notebook guard joked, and wrote down just that.

Luna was curious about this town, for it was so different to her world back in the forest. The buildings, the people, the cobblestone roads, the alleys, the windows, the chimneys, the bricks; all of this was so alien. The citizens followed some sort of dress code, of which women wore dresses, and men wore trousers and shirts. The grown-ups here were unlike the barbarians, and most of them avoided eye contact and simply minded their own business.

Small groups of guards patrolled the streets, mothers called their children home as the sun set, and sometimes a wagon would ride by, Eric waving at the other wagoners whenever passing them, and the wagoners did likewise.

Eventually, the Norsemen reached a coaching inn (essentially a large pub that also had stables for horses and carriages), Eric driving his wagon into the stables and was greeted by the innkeeper, who stepped out to meet him, and the two spoke about business. Eric gave the innkeeper several purple rupees and paid for accommodation. A few stable boys appeared to tend the horses, take their harnesses off, and put them into stalls.

"Should we leave our weapons with you?" Eric asked, but the innkeeper shook his head after a second, a little surprised.

"No? No, anyone who has a weapon can wear it at all times." the innkeeper replied.

"Hah-hah! You ljosalfar are like us!" Eric remarked, then turned to his men. "Remember boys, no being with prostitutes." Eric said, some men groaning, "Don't betray your wives!"

"Some of us may never them again anyways." Aakesson remarked, Eric shaking his head with an exhale.

"We had a long day, just get some sleep. No wasting time with women." Eric calmly said.

"Well, I need ale to get rid of my headaches, so I'm still drinking!" Harnack exclaimed, and off he went into the inn to do just that, several others following him, and Eric had no objection to that. One by one, the barbarians entered the inn.

After the men left, Luna hopped into the wagon, and started rummaging around until she found the bag with the glowing blue sphere in it, the same one she was interested long ago. She grabbed that bag and then hopped out the wagon, and sniffled once. What could this blue thing be?

Guomundur was not interesting in chasing skirts or gambling, but he noticed something odd, stopping at the doors of the inn. Was someone missing?

Without saying anything or looking back, Luna had walked away, by herself, down the street. She curiously looked around, staring at the chimneys and windows, and then the castle atop a hill in the distance. When she first saw the castle back from Hyrule Field, she was unable to fully see it, but now that she was closer than ever, she really wanted to investigate that gigantic stone building. She heard footfall and turned around, and saw Guomundur, who suddenly looked down and was briefly surprised.

"Oh? There you are. Where are you off to?" Guomundur asked, having stumbled upon Luna, but she just looked back at him silently with her big pink eyes.

The barbarian noticed Luna holding a bag, knowing where it once was, but did not care. The two just stood before each other as twilight arrived.

"Eric bought a room for you, too. He wants to find you a home in the morning. Or, maybe you already live here? Where do you live?" Guomundur asked.

"The forest." Luna replied, the barbarian sighing with relief that she was finally talking.

"Who are your parents?" he asked, but Luna paused, not understanding that question. "You know, mother and father, the grown-ups who raised you. Or are you an orphan?" he continued, but that made less sense to Luna.

"I lived in the forest. There are no grown-ups where I come from." Luna answered, Guomundur tilting his head in some confusion.

"No grown-ups?" Guomundur asked as parents and their daughter walked passed, their girl looking at Luna happily, but the Kokiri did not react.

"No. We never grow up." Luna replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, which made less sense for the man, who came from such a different world.

"Hm, so you grew up in the forest as an orphan, yet you speak as if taught by adults... and you never grow up?" Guomundur said, putting a hand on his chin for a second. "What is your name?" he asked, and noticed Luna was getting a little angry and impatient, eyebrows furrowed, and she looked away for a second.

"I'm Luna. I'm leaving." Luna said, looking back up at the foreigner, her face relaxing a little, and Guomundur nodded slowly.

"You are just a girl, but you have chosen your own destiny as a woman. I will tell Eric. Farewell Luna, may Odin, Freyja, Thor, and Tyr guide your path." Guomundur said, and then he and Luna parted ways at the same time, both of them looking up at the end of twilight overhead at the same time.


	30. Chapter 29 - A Pale Maiden

**Chapter 29**

 **A Pale Maiden**

 _si parva licet componere magnis (if it be allowable to compare small things with great)_

 _\- Vergil_

The pale girl walked alone down the streets, hands in her pockets, and overly long sleeves hanging down her hips. She had tied the neck of the bag holding the blue thing around her belt, and then seemed to forget about it.

The citizens took her as a street urchin and avoided her as if she were possibly a thief, but thievery was not something she even thought about. She being pale, white-haired and pink-eyed did attract some attention here and there, but Luna kept her head low to avoid everything possible.

For some reason, Luna lost the excitement and curiosity she had earlier. She was walking in an unknown world, and felt cut-off from it, yet did not really care about any of it. This alien land now meant nothing to her, and she had a strongly hollow feeling in her gut, something she often felt. It was not hunger or sickness, but something else. She felt like an empty ghost, a lost, sad, forgotten, void creature ignoring everything and ignored by everything.

Luna did not know how long she walked, or what was going on, her white hair covering most of her face, and she did not notice the few grown-ups who did walk past her with concern, looking at her as they went, but they did nothing. A gang of young men in an alley saw her, but did nothing.

Luna did not know why, but she kept thinking about when Vera hit her, even when she ripped apart that Deku Baba, and especially the fight between the barbarians and Zora. The weedy body of that carnivorous plant, the impact of that prick's uppercut, how her jaw shot with hot pain, the staring of the Kokiri, the grimaces of the Norsemen as they were stabbed by flint spearheads, the blood, the wounds... all these memories came rushing at her.

Lost in thoughts of violence, Luna walked passed a few annoying clown-like minstrels performing music and singing along the street, which she found completely annoying. Suddenly, Luna became oblivious, not even noticing she clenched her hands and pressed her teeth together, sometimes chewing on the edges of her tongue. Oddly enough, Kibou did not pop in her thoughts whatsoever. He was probably flying around like crazy looking for her, but she did not think about that.

Sometime later, as the sun was beginning to sink behind the horizon, Luna overheard the sound of running water, as well as horseshoes clapping against the paved road. She looked up, and stopped walking. In front of her, there was a huge, powerful, black stallion, a Friesian, which stopped trotting, staring back at Luna with his dark eyes. The beast had a thick tail and mane, sleek black fur, and large hooves. Despite his size, he was an elegant and graceful animal.

Riding the black destrier was a knight in armour as black and glossy as the horse's fur. The armour consisted of a cuirass, strapped closed on the sides, the breastplate and backplate shaped to match the man's muscular build, so that the armour was outlined with the shape of his muscles. The cuirass was lacquered pitch-black, to greatly accentuate the pitch-black yet glossy muscles of the cuirass. The rest of his armour was lacquered black and glossy.

The pauldrons had laminated extensions going down the upper arm, the extensions having straps around the upper arm. The plate armour was worn over a long-sleeved mail shirt tailored to match the man's body, appearing to have been dipped in black lacquer to gain its sheen, the sleeves reaching his wrists, but split from hem down so that it hung down over the thighs and greaves, to allow him to sit on a saddle.

The bow of the saddle (the front of the saddle that rested across the horse's withers) was quite high and fitted with steel plates on the front. The cantle (the rear of the saddle) was thick and very high, like a seat, supporting the knight and allowing him to sit back against it, but also serving as a base that prevented him from being knocked off his horse easily.

The greaves were strapped behind the leg, but the knight also wore chausses under the greaves. Chausses were leggings of mail tied and suspended from laces hanging down from the bottom of the gambeson (the gambeson was worn beneath the mail shirt). The chausses were also tied behind the lower leg, and the extensions covering the feet terminated into steel toecaps over the boots. Sheathed at his sides were longsword and dagger, and slung over the shoulders a heater shield reinforced with a black steel sheet on the front, riveted into the wooden frame, but left plain, without decorations, just like his armour. Hanging from the saddle were a war hammer, mace and battleaxe.

The knight's feet were firmly in stirrups, the back of his boots having prick-spurs, and Luna raised her head to look up at the knight. The horse lowered his head as Luna looked up, as if to make sure she looked at his rider, who was quite an imposing, scary man, undoubtedly one of the more physically powerfully Hyrulean warriors.

The knight had a domed horned great helm—lacquered black of course—worn and supported by his pauldrons and breastplate. He had a heavy black beard, hanging down underneath his great helm and resting over his breastplate like a mat. The great helm had narrow but oval-shaped eye slits going sideways, resembling large eyes almost closed. Pierced into the front of the helm were small holes, the holes arranged to crudely depict an outline of the Triforce, the left side depicting a larger outline and so having more holes, but the right side was smaller (as that side was more likely to receive a lance). These holes were made to allow breathing and some vision when looking down.

The black knight leaned slightly in his black saddle, and his black armour, black horned helm, his black horse, and his breath passing through the holes, all made him appear and sound like quite a demonic furnace of blackened iron. Behind the black knight was a drawbridge, a gatehouse, and the walls and towers. Beyond the fortifications was the inner city, and then after that, Hyrule Castle. The knight crossed his forearms over one another and rested them over the horn of his saddle, and leaned forward a bit more to get a better look at Luna.

"Is that a challenge?" the knight chuckled, sounding like a tower of iron underneath his helm, "Even other knights prefer to stay out of my way. Yet, here you stand, my pale maiden, in front of an armed knight, refusing to step aside." he continued, tilting his head briefly.

Luna just stared back with an empty face, some wind forming and blowing her hair and long sleeves. The wind caused black hair to flow sideways behind the knight's head, revealing he had long black hair, going down from underneath the back of his helm and hanging down his backplate. She did not know what to do or say, feeling like a tiny white thing before a giant black king of evil, yet not expressing that facially. She kept eye contact with the great helm and stood still, both their hair flowing.

"Oh my, such a brave little pale maiden you are! I will have to be sure never to cross you again. I must be going now. Farewell, pale maiden, maybe we will meet again." the knight said, grasping the reins, and got his horse walking, pulling on the reins so that his horse walked around the girl. Luna stood her ground.

The knight turned his head, great helm turning with it, and he gave Luna a little bow and waved one arm low, as if she was his princess, and off his horse went. Luna turned her head, watching him go. She did not notice, but perhaps twenty people had been watching, and many of them stepped aside to be nowhere near the black knight. He was quite a memorable chevalier. He soon cantered away.

Luna faced the drawbridge and looked up at the gatehouse, alone. She did not know why, but just by standing here... it felt so dreamy. She heard the river running underneath the drawbridge, and she just stood for a few minutes. Why did standing here have such a strong feeling? She almost did not want to pass the drawbridge.

The gatehouse seemingly called her, so she stepped forth, and began walking across it while staring at her feet. She suddenly heard galloping and shouting, so stopped, and looked up, seeing a white stallion running towards her full-speed. Ten guards suddenly materialized down the street after the gatehouse, running in front of the galloping horse, presenting their spears or halberds and yelling at the horseman to stop, but then most of them lifted their polearms and ran out of the way. A few guards kept their ground but were simply knocked aside by the powerful white stallion, and did not even attempt to stab the animal or stop it in any serious way. Several more guards farther down the street ran after the horse, but would never catch it.

Luna made no reaction, not even looking at the rider, a middle-aged man with tan skin, medium-length white hair, a full beard as white as his hair, and red eyes. He wore a dark blue robe over a black shirt and trousers. He held the reins in his hands, but riding with him, sitting in front of him, was a young boy, leaning into the horse's neck.

Luna just stood still, even when she felt the drawbridge slightly rumble by the horse's hooves, and then the drawbridge began to rise, chains clanking and wooden beams creaking. Luna made no reaction, even as the drawbridge began to lift. As the stallion approached her, the rider not caring to direct his steed out of the way, Luna just turned her shoulders, going sideways, not bothering to step out of the way, offering just enough room for the horse to pass.

Just as Luna felt the wind rush against her hair and skin and the shaking of hooves, she turned and looked up. At the same time, the boy riding with the man also turned, looking back at Luna, the two children staring at each other in the eyes. Time seemed to slow down as the two children made eye contact. The boy had dark skin, blood-red hair, bright yellow eyes, a pronounced nose, and was quite afraid, eyes shiny and face full of confusion and fear. As he stared at Luna, his mouth slightly opened, as if he wanted to say something.

Time went back to flowing normally; the white stallion galloped on like lightning, passing Luna, movement creating a rush of wind, causing her hair and clothes to flick about for a moment. The drawbridge continued raising, but the stallion ran up the slanting drawbridge and jumped off the end. Luna overheard the horse's hooves landing with audible metallic thuds, followed by a neigh and then galloping, citizens running to either side of the streets to get out of the way, some shouting. The drawbridge continued to raise, Luna remaining inactive, until the slant was so much she lost balance and slid down on her feet.

"Oh-whoa!" Luna cried aloud, suddenly remembering about gravity, spreading her arms to keep balance, but as the drawbridge raised up more, she inevitably began rolling down it. She promptly hit the grey bricked road below.

She landed on her feet and rolled forwards, and then stood up, moving her hair out of her face. To Luna's right was some sort of stone barracks or armoury that connected to the gatehouse, having a green tiled slanted roof, and an addition of a stairwell constructed at the back leading to the walls. To her left, was a smaller building, also connected to the gatehouse.

After the stone buildings was a fenced-off area, with tall leafy trees growing from them. Afterwards, the next buildings were two-storey at least, made of wood, having triangular roofs with red clay tiles, and quite large. A small grey dog was running around aimlessly and barking at things.

"Open the drawbridge!" a guard shouted running to a stop and skidding across the road for a while, using his spear as a counterbalance, looking at Luna for a moment while the grey dog continued barking, and then looked up at the gatehouse.

"What?" a guard from within the gatehouse shouted back, sticking his head out the loop-hole at the backside. "It's sunset, time to close the gate."

"Open the goddesses-damned drawbridge!" the previous guard screamed, waving his spear.

"Yeah! We always raise the drawbridge before nightfall, we've been doing that for, like, thirty years!" another, but much older, guard said while sticking his head out another loop-hole, getting it backwards.

"Oh, you stupid morons! We will never be able to do anything now." the guard who first spoke whined, the grey dog barking again.

"By now, he'd be halfway through the city, and none of the other guards will know who he is. There's nothing we can do." another guard nearby remarked.

"Except report what happened." a halberdier mumbled, briefly looking at Luna, but not really caring.

Soon, few by few, the guards took their leave, the two guards protruding from the gatehouse loop-holes retracting back inside. Most had seen Luna but did not do anything about her, assuming her to be just some random kid, but her white hair was unusual. The yappy little dog continued barking.

"I wish someone would just kill that thing." a guard grumbled, a few chuckling, and they continued walking down the road. The little dog continued barking for a while, and then happily bounced along wagging his tail.

A dark blue hue was forming across the sky, nightfall coming. Luna looked up at the darkening sky, then her eyes dropped.

"I guess no one cares about me." Luna whispered to herself stoically while shrugging, watching the guards walking away, so she too, walked down the road.

Up ahead, the road opened up into a market square, but since the night was approaching, the place was rather dead. An octagonal fountain was at the centre of the square, water rushing and sprinkling. Few people were visible, mostly tidying up their shops and wares, locking them up for the night. There were several stalls, crates, balconies, and posters featuring the buildings.

Luna saw a rather tall woman walking around, wearing a bright cream-coloured linen robe, and she had long red hair set in a high ponytail, yellow eyes, hooked nose, and dark skin. She seemed to be taking a good look at the stalls before walking off down one of the alleys, and a merchant, upon noticing her, quickly went indoors. A few guards then appeared, patrolling the market square casually and about to go down an alley beside the one the redhead woman just went into, the guards' mail armour jingling. Several small dogs were running around, playing and sometimes barking.

Sitting on the side of the fountain was a man and a woman, the man wearing a white shirt, white trousers, and a blue vest, having light brown hair. The woman had long thick red hair, wearing a white shirt and a bright blue skirt with purple linings. They had five children, three girls and two boys, dressed similarly to their parents. The family looked very happy, the children leaning over the fountain and dropping small green rupees into the water, making wishes.

"It's getting dark, love, I think we should go." the mother said.

"Yes love, we'll go. C'mon, little ones, time to go." the father said, adn his children obeyed happily, and off the family went.

But Luna did not care about them, and then she saw a rather large temple, somewhat like a Gothic cathedral, which was passed and behind the buildings to her right, towering over the town. It was quite a beautiful structure, and Luna was immediately interested in it. The cathedral was shaped as a rectangular prism, with four towers at each corner, and a much larger wimperg-shaped tower at the front in the middle, having a rose window with tracery in it, below it four niches going across the front.

Then, Luna looked at the castle, across the market square, where the bricked grounds went off as a road in-between an archery store and a small shop, a few large buildings down the sides of the road, a wrought-iron gate placed after the buildings and currently open, and the road went off zig-zagging through hilly terrain. Up there was where the wealthy lived, for they had built mansions along the path and cliffs leading towards the castle, but not on the royal grounds themselves.

Luna looked back at the temple, then at the castle, and seemed to just be called by the castle. But first, she wanted to investigate the fountain and leaned over it. While staring into the waters, Luna felt something move, her bag? She took out the bag and stared inside, looking surprised. The blue thing was indeed moving, slowly wobbling on its own.

"It's alive?" Luna asked, "What is it, a fish?" she questioned, and after a pause, immediately flipped the bag upside down and shook it. The blue thing fell into the water, glowing slightly, clearly exhibiting bioluminescence, brightening up the water a little.

As Luna stared in bewilderment, the blue thing unravelled itself, a tail with a fin on the end appearing, and two eyes opening. The creature looked like a giant white tadpole with blue markings on its back, and the thing floated, staring back at Luna.

"Uh..."

Luna just walked away, and the thing wondered where she went. It tried to jump out the water, but could not get over the fountain walls. Unable to do anything, the creature casually swam around the fountain.

Luna went across the market square, passing three little gardens arranged along one another, overhearing the five siblings playing with their hands in the water, parents chuckling, and she headed towards the castle.

Luna walked down the bricked road, mansions at either side of the path. Behind her, the gate she just walked through was closed by two guards, the noise causing Luna to turn her back as she walked, seeing the two armoured men locking the gate.

"On time as always!" one guard exclaimed.

"Yup, close and lock the gate after nightfall as always." the other remarked. Neither noticed Luna.

The two men thus stood guard before the gate. Locked behind the gate, Luna had nothing to do but go down the road, and see what would happen. The mansions were big and rather scary, having metal fences, stone gargoyles, and statues frequently. The gargoyles looked so real it was as if stone had given birth to them, and Luna felt some fear, for she had never seen statues before. With nighttime present, the scenery looked evil but cool.

The albino girl approached one of the mansions, the gargoyles at the posts seemingly watching her, but they remained creepy and motionless. While gazing at the gargoyles' faces, she overheard footfall and gasped lightly, bending both knees. A guard walked by, patrolling the lawn slowly. Not only could the wealthy afford the best buildings and decorations, but they could also offer guards' services for keeping watch of property. The guard had heard the gasp and looked over the fence, but saw nothing, and walked on.

Luna walked on, little boots lightly knocking against the bricks of the road, footfall gentle, and noticing guards patrolling the various properties of the wealthy. Whenever she walked passed a property, a guard would walk over to the fence and look out at the road, thinking that someone was walking. As always, they could not see Luna, whose Kokiri background allowed her to camouflage from the eyes of non-Kokiri. The darkness helped, too.

Unseen, Luna moved on, the bricked road gradually becoming slanted, so she had to walk upwards. The path gradually became between in-between cliffsides, perhaps twenty to thirty feet high or so but becoming shorter later on. Above the cliffs was woodland and rather rugged geography encircling the castle, and then further higher cliffs beyond the woods. There was young woodland on either side of the castle.

Eventually, Luna reached the top of the slanted road, opening up to a beautiful, but dark, view of Hyrule Castle above the cliffs yet underneath a young night, a large tree up ahead nearby the cliff. Perched on the tree was a big brown owl, staring at Luna. She then saw the first star appear in the night sky, and then another. She smiled. Were the stars welcoming her?

Soon, the arrays of mansions ended, and up ahead, a gatehouse blocked the path between the short cliffs. The gatehouse also served as a bridge between the two cliffs. Unsurprisingly, the gate of the gatehouse was closed. But it was no problem, even with a castle guard sitting on a stool to the side of the road near the gate. Luna just squeezed herself in-between the bars and moved on, her clothes rubbing against the bars getting the guard's attention, who sat up straight and looked to the side, wondering what just happened. But, Luna remained invisible to mortal eyes.

Luna saw the path splitting, one curving off to the left around the hill and continuing as the bricked road head up the hill towards Hyrule Castle, and curling off to the right going into the hilly woodland was a dirt road, not used very much. Luna walked up the bricked road, but soon decided to just walk up the hill to her left, for she saw a few guards casually strolling down the road up ahead. She hid amidst beautiful colourful flowers that grew in patches here and there.

Once the guards walked past Luna, she continued going up the hill, and soon reached the top, which was smoothly rugged and contained many more patches of tall yellow flowers, as well as shrubs and some woodland. The woods here was rather small, just enough to have several pretty groves and little dirt paths going here and there. All vegetation was groomed very well, with Hyrule Castle dominating the landscape in the distance. Luna overheard the guards murmuring down the road from whence she came.

The bricked road continued along the woodland until reaching a stone staircase off in the distance beside the cliffs over yonder, leading up over another cliff that was fenced-off, and behind that was a small river serving as a moat and then Hyrule Castle. The castle had an outer wall, gatehouse with drawbridge, round towers at each corner, various stone structures, and a very tall keep.

Although used to lots of walking, Luna was feeling tired and sleepy, and yawned, which helped her calm down. She looked around and explored, the guards sometimes patrolling along the road, but never entering the woodland for some reason. Curiosity came back, and Luna just walked around, looking at flowers and butterflies. Even butterflies kept flying around during nightfall here. She heard the owl hoot, and then it flew overhead. She did not even hear it flying, and watched it go. Even after leaving Kokiri Forest, Luna was still quite attentive with her big eyes.

With nothing to do, Luna just slowly walked around, looking at the trees, flowers and castle where she could, wondering what to do now. She didn't know why she sneaked all the way here—definitely had no reason—but it was cool! Perhaps she was experiencing the adventure she always wanted, and just did not realize it?

The albino spent some time playing with the butterflies, gently catching them only to release them, the playful insects flying around her as if they really did want to play with her. Sometimes, they would land on her hand and or walk upon her fingertips, as if tap dancing, their little legs tickling her skin. She was most ticklish when they landed on her cheek, ear or neck, and Luna would grin, squint her eyes, and tilt her head. Luna was busy with the butterflies for perhaps a few hours, the moon gradually rising above the castle as a giant glowing circle in the clear night sky.

Soon, Luna felt something odd. Was she being watched? She turned her head rather slowly, and saw someone behind her with the corner of her eye. As the butterflies flew off of her one by one, Luna turned around with a surprised face, putting her right hand over her mouth and making a brief, high-pitched, inhaling "huh!" noise, and just paused like that with a surprised face and big eyes.

Standing before her was quite an angelic, athletic, lean boy with his arms crossed, wearing dark blue velvet clothing. He also wore rings with jewels or crystals on them, gold bracelets around his wrists, and a golden amulet worn by gold thread. What was rather peculiar about him was that he had red eyes. He had short clean-cut white hair, wide eyebrows, and brightly tanned skin, and like all Hylians, long pointy ears. Luna thought he was an angel, but his skin was not as pale as hers. Well, the regal boy just stood there, arms crossed, looking at Luna with a rather stern face, but then he made a small smile. Luna was staring at his hair, finding it a bit surprising that she met another kid with naturally white hair.

"Who... who are you?" he asked with a voice like crystal, Luna looking down at him, and then the boy looking to the side as a few guards walked down the road beyond the woods, but they did not notice anything going on. "How did you get past the guards?" he continued, looking back at Luna, who said nothing. She didn't expect anyone to find her, especially a non-Kokiri. The two stood there for a few seconds, the boy raising an eyebrow.

"Oh? What's this?" he asked, looking at Luna's attire for a moment, separating his arms and briefly waving a hand downward at her clothes. "Green clothes, mysterious appearance, can sneak passed guards easily... Then, are you... are you from the forest?" he continued curiously, raising his eyebrows and cocking his head, but Luna said nothing, her raised arm slowly going down her side. The boy looked above Luna's head for a few moments, red eyes going to and fro, was something missing?

"I am from the forest." Luna finally answered, as if admitting a secret, eyes going down as the boy's eyes went back to her. Upon hearing that, the boy put his hands together near his face and looked very happy.

"Ah-ha ha ha hah!" he laughed heartily, face beaming, "Just as I thought! I had a dream last night, and in that dream, there was darkness and shadows flowing through a mighty forest, and then strange colours and faces appeared everywhere. And then dawn arrived, parting the darkness and weird colours, and a small figure emerged. The figure, she was so sad, she was being followed by the shadows. I knew that it was a prophesy that I would meet someone from the forest, someone I had to save. So, I snuck out of the castle to do just that. I knew you would be the one from my dream, that's why I went to find you. Well, I could not see you, but I knew you were here. Hah-ha!" the boy explained. Luna blinked a few times, speechless. What was this weirdo talking about?

"Oh, forgive me, I was so absorbed about you that I forgot to introduce myself!" he exclaimed, a little upset about his lack of manners, then he stroked his hair and tidied himself up, and then slightly lowered his face, and slightly closed his eyelids. "I am Sheik, Prince of Hyrule." he greeted a little shyly, Luna finding him so cute when he was shy. "And what about you? What's your name, my pale maiden?" he asked, the albino hesitating for a second.

"Luna." she finally replied, sadly, and the prince thought about that for a few seconds.

"Luna? Luna... That means "moon" in an ancient language, it sounds... comforting." Sheik remarked, and then looked up at the moon rising behind his castle. "Hey!" he exclaimed, looking back at Luna, "I am your hero, so I am obligated to look after you! Will you come with me to my castle, my pale maiden?"

"You are not my hero." Luna assured boringly, almost feeling insulted.

"No matter! Will you come with me to my castle?" he asked again, offering his right hand for Luna and smiling eagerly. His smile was magical, and Luna could not help but also smile, making her hands into little fists and putting them under her chin. Sheik's smile broadened. Luna quietly chuckled and looked away, putting a few fingers to her mouth as if to bite her fingernails, narrowing her eyes, trying not to blush.

Although they came from entirely different and contrasting worlds, Luna being nothing more than a little savage from the forest, and Sheik a young prince from a castle, the two seemed to have become friends in the most unexpected place and time, as if destiny brought them together.

"Umm... OK, I'll go with you." Luna said, gently taking Sheik's presented right hand with her left hand, and the two hands clutched, both children looking at the clutched hands, then made eye contact.

"Yeah! Let's go! I know a few ways to sneak in and out of the castle..." Sheik said, and then the two walked through the woods together, holding hands.


	31. Chapter 30 - Lone Wolf

**Chapter 30**

 **Lone Wolf**

 _lupus est homo homini (man is a wolf to his fellowman)_

 _\- Latin aphorism_

The two children jogged through the woods, shrubbery rustling, Luna nearly feeling her arm being ripped off by the overeager prince a few times. Sheik often looked back, teeth and eyes glimmering under the moonlight. Luna did not know why, but every time he just smiled at her, she smiled back. She felt thrilled. Her smile broadened at that thought. As Sheik and Luna past trees and bushes, they attracted the attention of a few guards twice, but the guards did nothing.

"They know it's just me, I go out a lot." Sheik said as he past the guards, Luna wondering if the guards knew she was something different, but since Sheik held her by the hand and dragged her around like that, they just didn't care.

"Oh? Looks like he didn't have an imaginary friend after all." one guard said to another as the two kids ran off, halberds resting over the front of their shoulders.

"Aw, that's so cute... Heh, I heard that, when Zelda was a kid, she also met some random kid from somewhere, and that sparked a great friendship. Guess it's her son's turn to do the same, ha!" the other guard remarked, who turned out to be a woman, and then the two guards continued their lazy patrol.

Soon, Luna and Sheik reached a short cliff, Sheik letting go of her hand then climbing the face of a stone surface. Luna overheard running water up ahead, and then climbed up after her friend, he offering his hand when she reached the top, but she ignored it. Growing up here was a small grove of trees, to the left a slightly higher portion of another cliff, and hilly terrain afterwards that went around the castle.

Up the rather small cliffs was a nice view of the castle, the ground rising higher closer towards the castle by a few feet or so, before dropping off to the path below following the moat (the moat flowed into a barred-off underway channel into the cliffs), a fence lining the front of the path. The drawbridge was present at this side of the castle, raised. A paved road lead to the large gatehouse, guarded by two halberdiers.

The castle was palace-like, essentially a single huge white stone stronghold, and had four steeple-tipped towers at each corner, a large bastion at the centre (integrated into the keep) also having four towers at each corner, and another structure at the north-east corner (possibly the chamber of the guard captain, armoury and barracks), and a towering keep protruding from the central structure.

Outside the castle, at the sides and back, consisted of hilly terrain, the forest growing on them rather young but decent woods nonetheless. A stone stairway flanked by metal fences led to the front of the castle from the grounds outside, which continued as a paved road to the drawbridge. Just as Sheik started to walk forth, Luna looked up at the castle and made a little gasp, holding in her breath, and Sheik spun around.

"Are you going to the castle, Sheik?" Luna asked, feeling her belly churning. Sheik laughed lightly for a second.

"Yes, Luna, we are going to the castle." Sheik answered, "Unless you don't want to come into the castle? My sister also sneaks out of the castle, maybe we'll find her sleeping somewhere." he continued, but Luna did not reply, as if she heard nothing, staring off to the side.

Perhaps thirty feet away slightly to the left of her, Luna had noticed an odd statue, somewhat oval-shaped, engraved with an eye and triangles above it. It rather looked like a smiling one-eyed face for Luna. She just stared at that odd statue, which seemed to be gazing through her very soul.

"Heh, I've seen those before. There's one at my village, beside the entrance to the Lost Woods." Luna said, Sheik smiling and giving the Gossip Stone a glance.

"Interesting little guys, they do crazy things. I used to play around on that one when I was a kid. You can find Gossip Stones basically everywhere, my mum told me her best friend could read them, somehow." Sheik remarked.

"Oh? And I always wondered where they came from." Luna pondered.

"Eh, I guess they are things left behind by the Sheikah. Maybe they used it for marking certain areas." Sheik said, walking to the edge of the cliff and jumping down, doing a front flip while falling and landing in a crouching position, then stood up.

Sheik was about to turn around and offer to catch Luna, but she dropped right beside him, knees and back only slightly and briefly bending. Sheik was quite the cat of a boy, and he was impressed by Luna's little landing. The two looked at each other.

"Shall we?" Sheik asked, smilings, Luna smiling back.

Luna followed her guide, the two just jogging along the ground next to the moat, going across the paved road and so passing the closed drawbridge, the two guards not even noticing kids were sneaking behind their backs! Afterwards, the path went around the corner of the castle, a rather large tree growing at the corner, and the path fenced-off from the grounds beyond. The moat continued around the corner as well, eventually flowing from a barred-off waterway in the walls, possibly an aqueduct. There was also a tower at the end of the path, connected to the castle, and having a large door. The side of the castle, above the moat, had a little opening, with a Triforce-engraved wooden frame covering it, opened just enough to allow water to flow out, a miniature aqueduct?

Sheik excitedly ran to the door of the tower, but it was locked. He withdrew two large needles from a pocket, one needle bent at a right angle, and began to lockpick the door.

"See, up this tower, there's an arrowslit, and next to it, thick trees grow along the castle walls. Thick vines also hang along the walls. So, we can climb the branches or the vines to go to my bedroom. There's also a rope hanging from my bedroom window, I left it up there. We can go climb the trees and then the rope all the way up to my room! Ha ha! It's so fun to go in and out of the castle like that." Sheik explained while working the lock, eager to share that cute secret of his, but then he paused. "Oh, I hope you're not afraid of heights or climbing?" he asked, which made Luna giggle.

"Me afraid of heights and climbing? Ha! I basically live in a giant bird nest! I breathe in treetops." Luna assured, suddenly feeling like exaggerating a little, but Sheik was impressed, his imagination going skyward about his new friend. Sheik unlocked the door, opening it but not stepping through.

"Ladies first." Sheik said, gesturing, Luna making a half-smile and entering the dark tower. The inside consisted of a stairwell leading to the various floors.

Moonlight shone in through the arrowslits (arrowslits were formed to better defend the castle, quite important since what happened two decades ago), offering some extra light here and there up the stairwell.

"Just up here." Sheik remarked as Luna gazed at the moonlight beaming in, and he began his ascent of the stairs, and Luna followed, they passing a few floors, which were stored with various weapons, armours, and supplies.

After a while, Sheik reached the top of the tower. It had a door, probably leading to the parapet walkway connecting this tower to the keep. The tanned but white-haired boy leaned out a window overlooking a series of large trees with branches touching the walls, and just as he was about to jump out, he grunted.

"Aw! The rope I left at my bedroom window is gone! Someone must have walked into my room and pulled it back in, probably my dumb mother!" the Prince of Hyrule whined, clearly disappointed, then his shoulders and head dropped, his plans ruined.

"Mother?" Luna asked. She heard that word spoken before by Guomundur, but never really thought of it until now, realizing that it was not a word she knew.

"Yeah, my mom. Oh, ya, you're from the forest, so you never had a mother. For Hylians, we are born from a mother. Wait, speaking of which," Sheik replied, turning to look at Luna, "where do you forest folk come from?" he asked, but Luna just stared back blankly, having no answer. "Hm, what are your earliest memories?" Sheik asked, Luna moving her eyes down, and trying to think of her earliest past.

"Uh... flowers, buds, petals, seeds, wind, shiny things..." Luna said, closing her big pink eyes and furrowing her eyebrows, trying to remember her earliest moment in her life. Though, as a human cannot remember one's birth, so Luna could not remember her arrival into this world, and how the Kokiri came to be, was a mystery.

"Hm, maybe you forest folk, are so called, because you are literally born like trees?" Sheik purposed, but Luna said nothing, eyes opening slowly and glimmering in the moonlight beaming from an arrowslit.

After a few seconds of silence, the prince thought he saw something from the corner of his eye, then looked back out the arrowslit.

"Keese?" Sheik asked, and at that, saw a bat fly across the window, and then heard a distant but short scream, so he leaned out the window to take a look.

Sure enough, off in the distance, Sheik saw a young girl, who was, apparently, sitting on the branch of one of the taller trees. She wore a silken cream-coloured dress, a purple-and-white sleeveless tabard over that, a purple-and-white mitre, and a necklace with a ruby, sapphire and emerald in its centre. She had brown eyes and black hair, an uncommon combination in Hyrule. Her hair was quite long, passing her waist, of which a sword-belt was around with a little sword sheathed through it. Well, the girl seemed to be harassed by, like, twenty Keeses, so she sat up and began swatting at the pesky flappy things with her hands, she and the things squeaking in frustration.

"Ha-ha! Hey, sis! What are you doing up there, pretending to be a squirrel?" Sheik called, the tone of his voice suggesting he was amused by the girl's trouble.

"Ohh! Shut up, Sheik!" the girl yelled, balancing on the branch so that she could fight back better, but there seemed to be no end of the rabid creatures. Amidst flailing her arms, the girl last balance and fell off the branch, hat falling off her head, of which Sheik covered his mouth with both hands and held his breath, eyes big. A few moments later, he heard rustling and a thud. "Ow!" the girl shouted briefly and angrily.

"What happened?" Luna asked, walking behind Sheik, wanting to put a hand on his back, but paused and dropped her arm as Sheik turned around to look at her.

"My sister was up in a tree, and was attacked by Keeses, and she just fell off!" the young prince cried, and then he jumped out the window, grasping handfuls of vines growing along the walls, and climbed down.

Luna put her hands on the window and leaned out of it. She saw the groves and grounds beyond the castle, and noticing that the window led beyond the fences below, towards the hilly terrain and woods north-east of the tower. Luna, seeing Sheik climbing down nervously, did likewise. When Sheik was perhaps ten feet from the ground, he let go of the vines, landed, and then ran up the hill as fast as he could.

After landing, the Kokiri girl ran after Sheik, but within seconds, she lost track of him. Sheik had run off somewhere, and Luna did not know which direction he went. Luna stopped, looking around, then rubbed her nose with a long sleeve.

"Sheik?" Luna asked aloud, but there was no answer. "Ugh! I thought I heard where he went! Oh well, this way, then." she continued, then continued walking, and before she knew it, the night sky became murky with dark clouds, blocking moonlight and starlight, and she did not even see Hyrule Castle. She stopped to look around and see what just happened. "Uh, what? Oh well, I'll go back the way I came, then."

Although Luna was accustomed to the Lost Woods, and knew it very well, a foreign forest was different, especially at night. It was not an old forest, the canopy not too thick, so she felt assured she would find Sheik again. After several minutes of walking, she overheard someone calling her name, so she followed the calling. She walked through a bush, but tripped and fell, falling before Sheik, who gasped and jumped from Luna's abrupt arrival as if he had seen a ghost.

Amidst his fright, the young prince clutched the girl who fell out the tree earlier, shoulders raised, back bent forwards, and he just standing like that motionlessly. Luna picked herself up, not embarrassed for falling, noticing Sheik let go of the other girl when she shook her shoulder to get the annoying kid off her, and Sheik stood normally, pretending nothing happened.

"You're from the forest, hm? So you are Luna?" the girl asked kindly and politely while rubbing her mitre with her hands, cleaning it. Luna nodded. Like her brother, the princess had quite a crystalline voice. Luna had never heard such a pretty voice before, it was light, gentle, adorable, and just so angelic.

"Yeah, I'm Luna." the Kokiri replied.

"I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule, a pleasure to meet you, Luna." the girl greeted, keeping her chin up but being ever so polite. After dusting off her mitre, she put it on her head, making sure it was prim and proper.

"Heh, how often does a forester meet two royals in one night?" Sheik asked smiling, for indeed, Luna's encounter with two siblings of a monarch was quite extraordinary, and the young prince found this most impressive. Zelda smiled at her brother, then the three children overheard a woman's voice calling out for Sheik and Zelda, and at that, Sheik and Zelda gasped and froze.

"Oh no!" Sheik exclaimed.

"If mom finds out I'm not in bed, she'll kill me!" Zelda squeaked, then the two nobles looked at Luna, and they got an idea.

"So, you're from the forest, right?" Sheik asked.

"You should take us away, so that we don't get in trouble!" Zelda encouraged, looking behind herself, and by the looks of it, several guards joined in the search and called out for the two young nobles.

"No, wait! That's a bad idea, we should just sneak back inside the castle." Sheik suggested, Luna looking around and wondering what was going on.

"Oh, seriously Sheik, you think mom's that dumb?" Zelda remarked, then the three kids shouted aloud and flinched as something jumped through them.

When they regained themselves, Zelda stroked her head, and realized her cap was missing, then the three children looked off to the side. Nearby was a gray Wolfos pup, Zelda's mitre in his mouth, and he just sat there, tail wagging, breathing eagerly, eyeing Luna eagerly. Luna was surprised to see a Wolfos here, especially so far away from the Lost Woods.

"Hey!" the princess whined, the Wolfos pup dropping the mitre, rolling on his back over it while moving his head to and fro, trying to bite it. Zelda ran at the pup, intending to get her hat back, but the Wolfos, predictably, sprang to action on the last moment, biting the mitre and darting off with it. Zelda's face froze with surprise and disappointment, then she ran after it.

"Zelda! Wolfos! They're dangerous!" Sheik shouted, running after his sister.

"Wait, I know that Wolfos!" Luna suddenly yelled, and ran after Sheik, and just like that, the three kids ran deeper into the woods. A few guards then appeared where the children used to be, but the kids were long gone.

Luna ran as fast as she could, but Sheik and Zelda sure could run. Very soon, Luna could not see Sheik, but did hear him running through the woods, and followed the noise. After swerving amidst trees, shrubs, boulders, and plants, Luna thought she would lose Sheik again, but heard him grunt. Running towards the grunt, she saw Sheik picking himself up, he having tripped on something. Without looking back, Sheik continued chasing after his sister, and Luna chased after him.

The young prince feared for his sister's safety, but she was a natural tomboy, and did not frighten easily, nor did she give up easily! The pursuit lasted a few minutes, Sheik sweating and panting, until he suddenly bumped into Zelda's back, causing her to fall.

"Oh! Sorry!" the prince cried, offering a hand to his sister, and then Luna ran into his back, and the two fell over.

The three children sat up, Luna and Zelda moving their long hair out of their eyes to see, Sheik motionless, and all of a sudden, they were surrounded by perhaps twelve adult Wolfos. The heavy lupine beasts stood on their hind legs, backs arched, forepaws gripping the earth, and breathing heavily, as if ready to pounce.

Sheik froze in fear, and Zelda put a hand over her pommel, both too scared to do anything. Luna stood up as if nothing happened, approached a Wolfos and cupped her muzzle in her hands, the Wolfos lowering her nose and closing her eyes, allowing Luna to kiss the top of the beast's muzzle. It was the mother of the gray pup, of the same pack Luna encountered so long ago. At that, all the Wolfoses relaxed, and Luna turned her head, but still held the mother Wolfos' muzzle.

"I know this Wolfos pack." Luna said, feeling emotional, shoulders and eyes heavy. She never realized how much she missed the Wolfos pack until now, and the memory of them flowed through her mind.

The pups reappeared, slithering out in-between the adults, excited to see Luna, but paused upon seeing Sheik and Zelda, not expecting newcomers. Luna noticed, so she turned around to face the two nobles, the pups looking at her. Luna blushed and smiled, then the pups jumped upon Zelda and Sheik, wanting to play with them, the royals squeaking. Luna got excited and dove into the flurry of paws and noses, suddenly feeling like she was something else, something not human, but deeply feeling like a wild animal.

Obviously, Luna exhibited way more enthusiasm than the other two kids, wrestling and rolling around with the cubs, Zelda and Sheik rather nervous, but glad to know that the Wolfos were not trying to kill them! The adults spread apart and walked around, sniffing around, whilst the mother sat down to watch her pups.

Sheik often kept a hand between himself and the pups, not wanting to get drool all over himself, but Zelda started treating the young Wolfos as if they were puppies, wanting to pet them and rub their backs when she could, but they kept moving around. She even forgot about her mitre.

"Aww, they're so cute!" Zelda exclaimed, beginning to get excited and wanting to play with the pups, as did Sheik. Even though the Wolfos pups got slob over Zelda's face, she did not mind, but her brother seemed a little squeamish.

As for Luna, she began acting like a dog, letting her tongue hang out, crawling on all fours, and gently biting the pups' fur as she played with them. Luna's awkward behaviour made Zelda and Sheik laugh, but the two were still a bit worried about the Wolfos adults, but most of them had walked away or simply did not pay much attention. It seemed that Wolfoses accepted the three kids as members of the pack.

Eventually, Sheik and Zelda, for some reason, just got out of control and enjoyed playing with the Wolfos pups, running, grabbing, hugging, wrestling, rolling, and jumping with them. The two nobles never felt so alive, this was so fun! Then, suddenly, all the fun came to an end when the adult Wolfos, including the mother, erupted into barking, growling and snarling, making so much noise the pups ran away with their tails between their legs.

The two nobles sprang out of their playful trance, standing upright and wondering what was going on, their clothes and hair ruffled and rather dirty. Luna was still acting like a dog, on all fours, growling at the darkness, making a complete fool of herself.

"Luna!" Sheik shouted, snapping the albino out of her animalistic state of mind. Luna rubbed her nose while standing upright, and started acting normally, going back to her depressed look.

"What?" Luna asked with a shrug, looking at Sheik, who said nothing.

The adult Wolfos continued their snarling, growling and barking, facing the same direction, often lunging forwards and backwards while barring their teeth. The Wolfos' noise intensified, and they began foaming at the mouth and drooling. Luna just stared at this big silhouette walking through the woods towards her, breathing as heavily as a bear.

The outline of the silhouette was rather lupine, as if a giant wolf walked bipedally, looking like a Wolfos but having a longer tail, and legs as long as its torso, and walked with the back slightly bent forwards. Despite walking with its back bent, the monster was still perhaps eight feet tall. It stopped walking, the adult Wolfos going crazy but not yet attacking, and the huge beast stared back at Luna, breathing like a furnace.


	32. Chapter 31 - We Are the Wolves

**Chapter 31**

 **We are the Wolves**

 _lupus pilum mutat, non mentem (the wolf changes his coat, not his disposition)_

 _\- Latin proverb_

"Uh oh." Sheik remarked, but Luna made no reaction, irises reflecting the image of the immense beast that emerged from the trees. A werewolf.

The beast walked on, broad shoulders brushing branches and bushes, the creature breathing through clenched teeth while drooling, wild-eyed, lips parted, ears pricked. The werewolf then walked underneath a beam of moonlight, thick, bushy, tawny fur glistening, muscles visibly moving underneath the fur. Luna did not know why, but Luna found the monster to be quite a majestic, beautiful beast, but he was still a monster. The werewolf stood still, the Wolfoses barking and growling furiously, some of them lunging forwards only to immediately crawl backwards, others running around the werewolf.

Brutal barking and guttural growling filled the moonlit forest, and now that the werewolf stood underneath moonlight, Luna could see his pale but dark yellow eyes, a pair of haunting eyes with large round irises. The werewolf looked like he was about to go crazy, face twitching, paws hooking into the earth, the beast leaning forwards and spreading his arms.

"He's coming!" Sheik warned, his sister whimpering, grabbing the hilt of her little sword but too scared to unsheathe it, and Luna just stood idle without caring about anything. The werewolf, eyeing the children, opened his mouth and growled, then sprang to action. Sheik and Zelda cried aloud, rearing their heads and extending their arms, Luna wondering what was their problem. Just as the werewolf went midair, a black and cream Wolfos tackled into him, the two beasts falling into a bush, thus ensuing the most ferocious growling and breathing any of the kids ever heard.

The werewolf was on his back, the Wolfos atop him, both exchanging paws while hind legs kicked repeatedly, presenting their jaws to one another and trying to bite each other while wrestling around, bushes shaking violently. Immediately, several other Wolfoses ran towards the fight, barking and growling, looking for a piece of body to bite.

Getting up, the werewolf lifted the Wolfos off himself and threw him into a tree, hearing him thud against it and whine. Immediately a few other Wolfoses lunged at the werewolf, biting him in the legs and waist. The werewolf snarled while twisting backwards, the Wolfoses gnawing, growling and pawing at him. The werewolf growled and slammed his paws down on his attackers' backs repeatedly, and then biting a Wolfos' back, the werewolf's jaws cracking against the Wolfos' spine, causing the Wolfos to whimper aloud and writhe away, then a brown Wolfos tackled into the lycanthrope's back, knocking him down.

The four Wolfoses piled the werewolf, biting him while several more Wolfoses ran around in a circle, trampling through bushes while looking for something to bite, a few more Wolfoses trying to wiggle in-between those already gnawing the werewolf to try and bite him somewhere. The werewolf writhed, biting back and growling constantly, rolling around when able, so that he could mount a Wolfos and bite into its leg, neck or head, jaws piercing their fur and coat, always causing them to cry aloud and flee once able, but were always replaced by another Wolfos. The werewolf was larger and stronger than the Wolfoses, but the Wolfoses were exceptionally tough and hardy.

The sounds of such horrid, lupine combat frightened the prince and princess, and such terrible sounds only felt more horrifying in the darkness deep in the woods.

"Let's go!" Sheik cried, pulling on his sister's arm, but then a black Wolfos hopped before them, walked beside Luna, the two looking at each other, the two nobles staring with big eyes, and then the black Wolfos gave Luna a big lick on the face. Luna smiled, soon grinning, and hugged the beast tightly, the Wolfos hugging her back and then looking back at the nobles with his strange glowing blue eyes that became whiter towards the centre. Luna inhaled her friend's lupine scent, feeling his fur tickle her face. She seemed to forgot about the violence a short distance away, or was thankful for the Wolfos' protective nature.

Several more Wolfoses prowled around here and there, audibly running from tree to tree, bushes shaking, a few even jumping on trunks and climbing them, howling aggressively and loudly, to be louder than the fighting, and their calls were answered by more howling in the distance. The music was disturbed by a frenzied growl, and the werewolf reappeared nearby the children, a few Wolfoses running away from him, he bleeding at the legs and neck. Several Wolfoses continued running around him, pawing at him once in a while, and jumping away from him whenever he tried to swat them, the Wolfoses being quite agile, capable of flipping backwards and sideways in an eye blink.

"Now we run!" Sheik cried, and then he and Zelda darted off, a Wolfos clung to a tree watching them go. Zelda unsheathed her little sword as she ran with her brother, the two kids overhearing the violence, footfall, and rustling bushes behind them.

Triggering his instinct, the lycanthrope sprinted forwards, Luna and the black Wolfos letting go of one another and facing him, Luna literally running in front of him. Her action made the werewolf look at her, and then the black Wolfos jumped over her and tackled into the werewolf's legs, biting his calf and taking him down. The werewolf swiped his arms wildly, exchanging claws and jaws, and instantly, a few Wolfoses pounced on the werewolf, digging their teeth and claws into his sides.

Luna was about to jump into the fight, but then realized her two friends ran off, but could not see them. She heard Sheik screaming shortly.

"Sheik!" Luna cried, frantically looking around, but overhearing the whining, growling, and whimpering of the Wolfoses and their foe made her shoulders and face droop. She wanted to run after Sheik and Zelda, but at the same time, was concerned over the Wolfoses.

Not wanting to leave her family, Luna turned around and joined the fight, seeing the werewolf's scrunched-up snarling face, wild yellowish eyes preaching venom, he on his back and clamping his jaws upon the side of a Wolfos' neck and drawing blood, and not letting go. Luna managed to kick him across the forehead, but that did nothing, so she squirmed over a Wolfos' back and flopped on the werewolf's head, biting his ear and tasting blood. The werewolf barked from pain, allowing the Wolfos he had bitten to free himself, and then the werewolf began flailing himself madly, kicking and pawing furiously while snapping his jaws so powerfully his teeth clicked together audibly.

Luna, not realizing the danger, put her hands over the lycanthrope's head and tried to hold him down while feeling other Wolfos' squirming around her to bite the werewolf, a red-eyed silver one, the werewolf opening his jaws to bite her, but then the red-eyed silver Wolfos bit the werewolf's jaw and started thrashing it side to side, his jawbone making cracking noises.

Enraged, the werewolf began breathing in and out and shivering with such force he literally overpowered his many opponents and stood up, Luna falling from him, though a few Wolfoses' jaws were still locked on the werewolf. The werewolf managed to claw most Wolfoses off himself, then grabbed the Wolfos biting his jawbone, lifting her up, then slamming her to the ground, but the Wolfos kept her jaws locked over the werewolf's jawbone. The werewolf let go of her, she dangling down his front while repeatedly clawing her hind paws into his front, the other Wolfos chewing on his leg. A powerful knee strike to the Wolfos' sternum got her off, she making a howl-like "Ohhh!" from pain, and had to withdraw a short distance to recover from the pain.

Growling with every exhale, the lycanthrope started grabbing the jaws at him with both hands, wrenching or cranking them, then pulling the lower jaw to the side until it popped or sprained, causing such pain the grabbed Wolfoses cried and squirmed out his grasp and fled. After freeing himself from two other Wolfoses in such a manner, he spun around and kicked a charging Wolfos across the jaw, the Wolfos flopping over on the ground. Immediately, a big white Wolfos jumped on the lycanthrope's back, wrapping his limbs around him and biting the back of his neck. A few more Wolfoses charged, trying to bite the werewolf's legs, but he began stomping powerfully around himself, causing the Wolfoses to cautiously crawl around or jump away.

The werewolf grabbed the Wolfos atop him by his leg, and cranked the ankle sideways until the Wolfos whimpered and let go, limping away. Spinning around, the werewolf charged the limping Wolfos, but a tawny Wolfos jumped off a nearby tree and landed atop the werewolf, weight casing him to stagger as the Wolfos gnawed on his head. Several Wolfoses charged the lycanthrope from all directions, tackling into him and biting him anywhere they could, causing bleeding, but this werewolf was quite tough.

Even being attacked by several Wolfoses, the werewolf refused to give up or slow down, he keeping his feet spread apart and knees bent to stabilize himself as much as possible. He continuously clubbed his paws or clawed into the Wolfoses and biting their ears, scruffs, and muzzles, shredding them open, the Wolfoses crying out but they continued fighting until the pain was too much, and they retreated. The werewolf and his attackers were now bloodied.

Not wanting to leave her family alone, Luna approached the monster, seeing him clubbing down Wolfoses, gradually freeing himself, too powerful even for many Wolfoses, but the tawny one was still atop his head and chewing on him. After he had thrown or beat away the Wolfoses at his legs, the lycanthrope ran forth and dove into a tree, slamming the tawny Wolfos into its trunk with such force the Wolfos went limp for a moment then crawled away quickly. The werewolf towered over the limping Wolfos and was ready to plunge his fangs onto him.

Luna charged the werewolf all by herself, the beast turning around just as she tackled into his leg, biting the monster's leg and clinging to it. Unsurprisingly, Luna's attack did nothing. However, instantly, several Wolfoses swarmed him yet again, Luna feeling their fur scraping across her face, but they served as a shield for Luna, taking the force of paws and fangs that surely would have severely injured her.

A gray Wolfos leapt off the branches of a nearby tree, movement causing the branches to sway and shower leaves and twigs, the Wolfos landing atop the werewolf's shoulders and biting sideways over his face, biting causing blood to leak down the lycanthrope's face and drip onto the backs of the Wolfoses attacking his legs. Regardless, the werewolf continued pawing and kneeing rapidly and consistently, beating down the Wolfoses one by one. He sometimes grasping a handful of fur and then pulling with such force he tore handfuls of fur off, and so also ripped open some skin, and blood soon flicking out, the Wolfoses being grabbed by the werewolf crying out, biting the fingers that grasped their skin until they could writhe to an escape.

Perhaps a dozen more Wolfoses appeared, half of them wounded from fighting the werewolf earlier but still eager to fight, and they all ran forth and tackled into the werewolf at the same time in the torso and head, as such also tackling into other Wolfoses, but the combined weight and momentum brought the lycanthrope down to the ground. The Wolfoses promptly dug their teeth into him, shaking their shoulders while trying to rip fur and flesh off his bones.

Amidst the violence, growling, and whining, Luna did not know what was going on. She could not think, feeling like a wild animal. She just grasped the werewolf and bit him as hard as she could, her teeth and jaw hurting, feeling the Wolfoses moving around as the werewolf wrestled wildly, thrashing and rolling, movement throwing Luna off, but most Wolfoses kept their jaws locked on the lycanthrope's body, and rolled with him like that. However, the werewolf remained powerfully persistently, and once he got a hold of a Wolfos, his grip and claws tore into Wolfoses, and one by one, they received so much pain and wounds they had to flee. The werewolf also kicked and bit back, and soon, it was just Luna and a black-and-white Wolfos at him.

Snarling with such force that blood and drool frothed out his mouth, the werewolf hammer punched the head of a white Wolfos that jumped at him, hitting him midair and feeling him flip over his arm. The werewolf then clamped his jaws at the black-and-white Wolfos chewing on his leg, biting its shoulder and crushing it, the Wolfos crying aloud, but continued biting back while pawing with his front and hind legs. The two wrestled and rolled about, movement tossing Luna away again, but she picked herself up and ran forth, seeing the werewolf end up on his back under a ray of moonlight. The black and cream Wolfos reappeared, leaping at the werewolf, who headbutted the Wolfos mid-air and knocked him down, but this allowed the black-and-white Wolfos time to escape.

Eager to save the black and cream Wolfos, Luna jumped atop the werewolf's chest, and began repeatedly pummelling his face, the two making fierce eye contact, both pairs of irises reflecting one another; neither broke eye contact, and both kept a ferocious face. The werewolf paused, as if intimidated—or surprised—by how brave this little girl really was. Luna's overly long sleeves starting flopping around, which went over the beast's eyes and blinded him a little as she punched him with all the fury and energy she had, but all of her efforts did nothing. The werewolf could easily kill Luna, but he did not. For this moment, the werewolf's face lost its ferocity.

Several more Wolfoses charged the werewolf and began gnawing on his elbows, legs and sides, but the lycanthrope managed to put his right paw over Luna's head, and clawed her down the face, Luna closing her eyes and grimacing, lips parting and teeth gritted, grabbing the werewolf's arm with both hands, but nevertheless feeling blood burst out her scalp as the skin and flesh parted. Four claws dragged against her skull in a single diagonal motion, leaving behind four red lines down her face, one claw splitting her right eyelid.

Never had Luna ever screamed with such force in her life, placing one hand over the other and putting them over her right eye, the pain absolutely intolerable, blood gushing out her face like a fountain, she feeling her blood spewing out underneath her hands. She just fell backwards onto the ground, squirming like a worm and shaking uncontrollably, moaning through gritted teeth.

By the sounds of it, the werewolf fended off his enemies, Wolfoses attacking him too hurt to fight, receiving kicks into the neck and stomachs, forcing them to retreat. Blood loss took its toll on the werewolf, and he knelt, panting heavily, needing a quick rest. The wounded Wolfoses crawled around here and there, often growling but not doing much else, still too hurt to rejoin the fight just yet.

The lycanthrope lifted his gaze, seeing a brave Wolfos running to the scene, jumping over Luna and stopping on all fours in front of her, standing firmly and growling steadily. It was the black and cream Wolfos again, ready to rejoin the fight.

Also trotting to the scene from the side was another Wolfos, the one with silver fur and red eyes, she was back. She let her tongue hang out the right side of her mouth, and ears pricked forwards. The silver Wolfos did not stare back at the werewolf, and seemed to be smiling, walking to the other Wolfos' right side and standing smugly next to him. She was certainly the alpha female, a strong, smart, tall beast, slightly taller than the black and cream Wolfos, who seemed to be the alpha male.

Two other pairs of yellow eyes and another pair of red eyes glowed behind the two alphas, most certainly some of the best of the pack but still superseded by the alphas, consisting of a white one, a black one, and a bright baize one. They were ready to strike from the darkness at any time.

The black and cream Wolfos eyed the werewolf fiercely, probably eager for some revenge for what the lycanthrope did to him and his pack. The rest of the pack was too injured, too scared, or too ashamed to have failed to fight on, and so it was up to the alphas and their three best members to drive the werewolf out of their forest. Paws pressing into the ground, the alpha male charged, wild-eyed, paws thudding against the earth, and the werewolf snarled and charged back. The silver female remained smug and pleased, and darted forth, leaving her tongue hanging out.

The werewolf spread his arms, intending to grab his foe while expecting the alpha Wolfos to bite his legs, but the Wolfos was ready for that expectation. Instead of biting the werewolf, the black and cream Wolfos leapt on the last moment and tackled into the werewolf's neck, the lycanthrope too slow to grab the Wolfos while mid-air and staggering from the tackle, the alpha biting the beast's neck and wrapping his front legs around the werewolf's head, while the Wolfos' hind legs bicycled against the monster's front. Keeping his jaw clamped, the alpha flung his body around, causing the werewolf to twirl with him, and pulled the beast down; the two wrestled and gnawed on each others' necks.

The silver Wolfos slid her tongue back into her mouth and charged, seeing the werewolf stand up with the alpha male in his grasp. She tackled into the back of the lycanthrope's head, digging the claws of her hind legs into his backside, and then putting him in a chokehold with her front limbs, then swinging to the side to try and bring the beast down, managing to make it stagger. The two alphas remained clinging on the werewolf until their combined weight brought him down, and then the three other Wolfoses—the white one, the black one, and the baize one—ran to the scene and started gnawing on the werewolf's legs and arms.

Picking herself up, Luna went forth weakly but steadily, both hands over her injured, bloodied eye, seeing the werewolf flailing himself wildly, the Wolfoses skipping about with lifted tails, biting at the monster's arms and legs whilst the alphas kept him down. Undoubtedly, the lycanthrope would only go down fighting to his last breath, his coat bloodied, he clawing and biting back at his foes while all of them growled and writhed furiously.

Before she could rejoin the fight, Luna felt something bite the back of her neck, which hurt quite a bit, but it was not unbearable, then she felt herself lift off the ground. The Wolfos mother had gently bit over Luna's neck and carried her away from the fighting. Taking shelter amidst shrubbery, the mother lied Luna down amongst several Wolfos pups, licked her hair a few times, then darted off. The pups stayed low to the ground, ears bent back, limbs bent and close to their bodies, sometimes looking around, obviously afraid. The gray pup looked up at Luna, as if expecting her to do something, the Kokiri girl rubbing her neck from the pain as her face bled. She hugged the gray Wolfos pup around the neck, holding him closely.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you. That's what family is for." Luna comforted, closing her eyes, still feeling lots of pain, but her compassion for these creatures overcame her pain.

"Beasts! Watch out!" a man yelled from afar, probably one of the castle guards, Luna opening and turning her eyes, overhearing some more shouting and more growling from that general direction, but the fiercest barking, snarling and breathing sounded from the other direction, where the werewolf fought the Wolfoses.

The pups whimpered softly, pushing themselves against the earth. Luna let go of the gray pup and turned around, seeing silhouettes of men approaching, soon accompanied by yelling, growling, rustling, and the sounds of fighting.

"Go! Run away!" Luna shouted, pushing the pups to get them moving, "Run! Before they find you!" she continued, lifting a pup's hind legs up to get him moving, and soon, the pups crawled away. Luna spun around, and ran towards the castle guards.

Luna saw the castle guards fighting other Wolfoses, spears and halberds moving through shrubs whenever the Wolfoses dodged the weapons. To Luna's surprise, perhaps fifty or more guards had suddenly materialized from the darkness, as if the trees spewed them out. Few by few, the Wolfoses crawled backwards while snarling, some hit a few times, and then they all darted off. Some guards broke formation and pursued the fleeing lupine monsters, to keep them fleeing.

"This way!" a guard yelled, running forth, until Luna jumped in front of him, spreading her arms apart and leaning forwards. "What the hell!" the guard exclaimed, sliding to a halt, wondering what a little girl was doing alone in the woods.

"Don't hurt them!" Luna cried, but the guard just shook his head and went passed her, Luna grabbing his leg and trying to stop him, but several more guards simply ran passed her.

"Let go of me, kid!" the guard that Luna grabbed ordered, pushing her away, but Luna immediately grabbed his arm and then tried to pull him down, but that would never happen. Irritated, the castle guard pulled his arm free and jogged on, more guards running passed Luna as she looked side to side.

"Kid, get back to the castle town! It's dangerous!" a guard ordered, but Luna ran off into the woods and immediately disappeared.

Perhaps thirty guards followed the source of more growling, heading towards the werewolf fighting the Wolfoses. The Wolfoses fought the werewolf like machines, constantly biting, pawing, growling, and moving around, the werewolf rolling to a tree trunk, which served as an obstacle for his foes. Grabbing onto the bark while teeth and claws dug into his fur, the werewolf pulled himself up the tree, but the two alphas remained clung onto him, their noses digging beneath his fur where the skin was torn apart by their biting.

The other Wolfoses leapt on the tree and climbed after the werewolf, but were so engrossed in their pursuit of the beast that they did not realize that thirty guards ran towards them. Ten guards, without thinking, threw their spears at the Wolfoses climbing the tree, a few missing the tree, but the others thudded into the trunk, nearly hitting the lupine beasts, but a Wolfos whined aloud and fell from the tree. Most of the Wolfoses dropped from the tree, spinning around midair to dodge the remaining spears hurled at them.

The guards who threw their spears withdrew swords and charged, hauberks jingling, but they were in fact afraid of the monsters and not as brave as they wanted to be. The Wolfoses growled at the armoured men, but knew they could not defeat so many, and resorted to running and jumping around, keeping their distance to avoid the spears, halberds and swords.

A guard with a halberd pursued the Wolfoses, swinging his halberd recklessly, but the beasts easily flipped or jumped out of the way. Suddenly, the werewolf jumped down from above, landing atop the halberdier just as he ran under a beam of moonlight. The beast spread his arms and leaned forwards, most of his body leaking blood, fur reddened from his own and others' blood. He moved his lips back to reveal the teeth, chewed-up ears pointing backwards, and he roared at the castle guards with such force that blood and drool spattered out his mouth. Without thinking, all the guards stopped, gripping their weapons and keeping them pointed at the bloodied wild-eyed monster illuminated by moonlight.

"Ugh, no fair..." one of the guards squeaked.

The werewolf breathed deeply and heavily, blood constantly leaking out his mouth and fur, and then a mournful howl sounded from the side. At that, most of the Wolfoses ran towards the howl, running through the bushes, but some remained to growl at the Hylians. The mournful howl sounded again, some of the castle guards looking to the side, wondering if more monsters would come.

"Don't chase after them! Form a schiltrom!" a guard advised, and most of the guards rather ungracefully got themselves into a circle, so that it was impossible to flank them. A few Wolfoses ran around the guards, but kept their distance.

The werewolf, still angry, suddenly charged the guards, many of whom panicked and could not retain a firm grip. The werewolf swatted aside their polearms, then proceeded to pawing their helms. The guards shouted and cried, spears and halberds flopping at the monster. The beast bit over a guard's helm, teeth scraping against metal and only getting hurt. The beast had no choice but to continue pawing, as well as kicking the guards' thighs to hurt them, as he had no way to get past their armour.

One halberdier managed to strike the werewolf in the head with the hammer of his polearm, hurting the monster. Shaking from anger and pain, the lycanthrope made a short exhale, then ran off, jumping onto a tree and climbing up it. Three other Wolfoses leapt upon the same tree and climbed up to go after the werewolf as he made his escape. Being taller, longer, and having longer digits, the werewolf swung amongst branches of varying trees and made his escape, and the distance between him and the Wolfeses grew. The Wolfoses continued their pursuit, also jumping from tree to tree.

"OK, they're gone, let's get out of here!" one of the guards suggested.

"Hey! Everyone who ran off! Get back here!" another guard yelled, and the guards started to regroup.

"We need to find the prince and princess!" another guard said, panting.

Luna was kneeling in a bush, hoping that the Wolfoses managed to escape the monster and the guards. She overheard the castle guards whispering and shuffling in their armour nervously, as a few Wolfoses remained in the area, running around and occasionally barking, growling or howling.

"Zelda? Sheik?" Luna whispered, putting her hands over her injured eye. She got no reply. A few more guards appeared, walking passed Luna's bush, but they did not notice her.

"Keep looking for them! They should be around here somewhere!" a guard spat nervously, and then the guards called for Sheik and Zelda, searching the area in groups.

Luna decided to leave, sneaking away from the guards, a few overhearing the rustling she caused, but assumed it was beasts and braced themselves. Soon, Luna crawled behind a big tree, sitting against the trunk, grimacing as she pressed her palm against her injured face. She began crying, doing her best to stop. The forest child overheard a light voice, and paused. Was something whispering her name?

"Sh-Sheik?" Luna whimpered.

"Luna? Are you there?" a light voice asked, and Zelda reappeared, crawling to Luna. "This way, Luna." the princess beckoned, and crawled off, Luna following, disappearing into the shadows with her.


	33. Chapter 32 - Flutes

**Chapter 32**

 **Flutes**

 _Nothing is miserable unless you think it so; and on the other hand, nothing brings happiness unless you are content with it._

 _\- Boethius_

Blood leaking out her damaged eye, Luna soon found herself with Sheik and Zelda, but the pain caused the Kokiri to kneel. Sheik leaned over to help Luna to her feet, but she ignored him, and stood up on her own. Zelda grabbed Sheik's hand to get his attention.

"Remember the Fairy's Fountain?" Zelda implored while sheathing her swords.

"Oh, right! There's a small, old one around here!" Sheik stated aloud but was obviously unsure if there was a Fairy's Fountain around here, taking a few steps forth, but then there was a sudden surge in growling and soldiers' shouting in the distance, and he paused.

"Are you scared to go look?" Zelda asked, nervous that Luna was so hurt.

"Well, it's really dark and..." Sheik remarked, poking his fingers together nervously.

"Oh, c'mon you baby! Go be a prince for once in your life!" Zelda whined, pushing her brother in the back with both hands, causing him to fall forwards, but he quickly turned his fall into a roll, though ended up rolling his head into a tree with such force, the tree shook from impact. Moments later, a flute fell down from above, and then someone fell from the canopy overhead. The person hit the ground with a thud and caused the two nobles to gasp, twigs and leaves raining for a second, Luna making no reaction. Whoever fell from the tree, coughed, shook his head, and picked himself up, movement making scratchy, ruffling noises.

"W-whuh? Who are you?" Zelda asked with a hand over her mouth, rather shocked by this random encounter, Sheik quickly getting up to his feet. The person picked up the flute, adjusted his skull-mask, and then looked at Zelda.

"Gödel? What are you doing here?" Luna asked suddenly, surprised, just noticing that someone fell out of the tree, then the person looked at her without saying anything to the princess.

"Oh? Hi Luna, fancy meeting you here! I was just playing hide and seek, until I started hearing those scary noises! So I climbed up this tree here, but then fell when it just started shaking by itself!" Gödel exclaimed, raising his arms, then lowered his arms but raised his shoulders when the sounds of growling and shouting amplified. "Awch! I knew Aram's idea of playing closer to the castle was a bad idea! There's this big monster out there, too! We were forced to play dead, pretend to be fallen scarecrows, before it left us alone... hmph!"

"Well, at least you didn't get your eye clawed open, my face hurts so bad." Luna said, and Gödel spun to her direction.

"What? You're hurt?" the Skull Kid asked.

"Yes, we need to find a Fairy's Fountain." Zelda said, giving Luna a concerned stare.

"Ya, I think there's a Fairy's Fountain somewhere here..." Sheik remarked.

"No, there aren't any here, I don't think." Gödel said, Sheik feeling his cheeks flush a little. "But I know of a way to get a big one! Follow me!" he continued, and darted off, the three children running after him, Luna struggling so Sheik slowed down for her.

"Wait up!" Sheik shouted, Zelda slowing down, then Gödel skidding to a halt and turning his shoulders to look back.

"How bad is it?" Sheik asked, putting a hand on Luna's shoulder, hearing her breathing through clenched teeth.

"Still really bad, but I can handle a lot of pain." Luna assured, and then she suddenly felt herself float off the ground!

"I'm your prince, Luna! Let's go!" Sheik nearly shouted; he had picked up Luna under the knees and shoulders, and ran on carrying her like that. Luna did not know how to react.

Gödel ran on and on, skipping over logs and swerving in-between trees, boulders and shrubs, Zelda following suite. Sheik did likewise with greater vigour, persistent to save his bride, breathing hard and holding Luna tightly and closely, so much that she even felt his heartbeat against her ribs. No matter what obstacle lay before Sheik, he went over all of them, even when logs looked too big to jump over, Luna and Sheik sometimes feeling branches whip against their faces, but he pushed on. The sounds of fighting, shouting and growling gradually subsided and mostly faded away as the children ran on.

After running for ten minutes or so, Gödel led everyone to a grove of large dead leafless trees, and in the centre, was a little boulder shaped like an upright egg. By this time, the sky was neither as dark as night nor as bright as day, dark blue in colour but without stars or moon or sun, dawn almost arriving. The Skull Kid pushed his hand across the small boulder, moving moss out of the way, revealing that this little boulder was a Gossip Stone.

"OK, this should be good." Gödel said, overhearing Zelda's footfall and panting as she arrived, and then came Sheik carrying Luna, the nobles panting, Sheik's forehead sweating, the cool night air hurting their burning lungs.

Gödel tilted his Skull Mask up, lifted his flute, and began playing a song. The song began simply, a very low note followed by a slightly higher one and then a much higher one, these three notes repeating again, and then flourishing as if a singing bird singing to a higher scale and holding the last note for a while: the Song of Storms, but no storms came. At that, a big fat pink fairy appeared, flying out the Gossip Stone, pink sparkles fluttering out of her.

"Wow." Zelda exclaimed, having never seen such a big fairy.

"Miss Fairy, may you please help the injured girl? She's in the arms of the boy." Gödel politely asked, and the big fairy nodded to him, then flew to Luna, and began flying around and around her, the fairy's body sparkling even more, aura glittering and making a light vibrating noise.

"You are quite wounded, I will need to use more power to heal you." the big fairy said as she flew about with greater vigour.

As the big fairy flew around her and Sheik, Luna felt her wounds seemingly melt away, the fluttering sparkles brightening up her injuries and making glints in the eyes of the children. Luna could see the blood in her clothes simply dissipate, and the pain in her face slowly went away. The fairy continued flying around and around, the healing power bringing Luna back to normal.

"There! All done, dearie." the fairy exclaimed, stopping between the faces of Luna and Sheik, and then giving Luna a little pat on the head. "Feel better?"

"Oh, wow, yeah, much better." Luna acknowledged, and made a small smile, looking down upon herself. The big fairy flew off to the side, Luna's smile fading away, and then she and Sheik looked at each other at the same time, keeping eye contact and blank faces.

"You two lovebirds done yet?" Zelda asked smugly, Sheik and Luna looked to the side and seeing the princess with her arms cross. Sheik blushed and put Luna down.

The albino girl brushed herself off, trying to shake off some bashfulness, but Sheik felt good to have been such a gentleman. His fitness surely helped him carry Luna for so long, but his shoulders, back and arms ached, but he'd never reveal the discomfort.

"Yahoo! You're healed!" Gödel exclaimed happily all of a sudden.

"Yeah, I am... Thank-you, fairy, thank-you so much. Who are you?" Luna asked, still feeling surprised, and not knowing how to react to such kindness. The big fairy flew to Luna's face.

"You're welcome, dearie! Well, I'm just a big fairy, there's not many of us, but sometimes we reside in ancient places to sleep. We don't always go by names, I never bothered naming myself. I am just happy to hear the Song of Storms, heal nice people, then go back to sleep to recover my power for the nest awakening. When you are immortal, you have lots of time on your hands, and you're never in a hurry." the big fairy remarked, and then she made the biggest tiny yawn she could.

"Ha ha! Sleepy already?" Gödel asked, the big fairy nodding.

"Yup! Healing takes a lot of energy and effort. When a Pink Fairy finishes healing, he or she must then return to slumber, to rest again, and await the chance to heal again. Thank you for summoning me, Skull Kid, thank you, children, for your smiles. But now, I must return to slumber." the big fairy said, then she flew around and around everyone, creating fluttering sparkles.

"Oh! OK, bye-bye big fairy! My name's Gödel, see you next time!" the Skull Kid said, waving a farewell.

"Oh, and I'm Princess Zelda! Tell your fairy friends you met me!" Zelda said, waving goodbye happily, Luna not saying or doing anything, but Sheik waved goodbye as well, and the big fairy soon faded away into a brief torrent of pink lights, and was gone.

"Ha! Wasn't that so cool?" Gödel commented gleefully, Luna rubbing her face with her hand, but felt no pain. She sighed with relief, grateful that so much pain was gone. Sheik was looking at Luna, as if expecting something, but Luna did nothing. Everyone then overheard the Song of Storms again, but echoing from afar.

"Who's that?" Sheik asked.

"That sounds like Tara's flute! She must have heard me play the Song of Storms, and decided to play it herself just now!" Gödel excitedly stated, jumping up and outstretching his legs to the sides briefly, and upon landing his Skull Mask fell over his face. He lifted his Skull Mask back up, put his flute to his lips, and played the Song of Storms.

The children listened carefully, and after a few seconds, the other flutist played again. Gödel chuckled with that high-pitched echoing voice Skull Kids had, and got so excited that he jumped and punched mid-air.

"I wonder if she knows the entire song? There's another version, the longer version, it starts slower and plays slower..." the Skull Kid pondered, and then played his flute again, playing the Song of Storms, but a slower, longer version as he said. He played for perhaps twenty seconds, then stopped. After a few seconds of silence, the other flutist played the same tune. "Bwah!" Gödel exclaimed happily, then just as he was about to play along, a third flutist sounded, fainter than the second flutist, but still audible from the other direction. Luna and Sheik smiled, finding this to be quite cool!

"Another one of your friends?" Zelda asked, Gödel turning to face the princess.

"Yeah! Sounds like Sam's flute, I didn't know the others knew the Song of Storms!" the Skull Kid replied eagerly, then he played along, joining halfway through the melody. From two more directions, two more flutists joined the tune, the Song of Storms dancing along trees, echoing as dawn came.


	34. Chapter 33 - Black Knight

**Chapter 33**

 **Black Knight**

 _Valour is the contempt of death and pain._

 _\- Tacitus_

"This way!" Gödel shouted as he led the kids through the woods, following the sound of Sam's playing. Behind them, the growling and yelling continued for a while, but gradually become quieter as the children raced through the dark forest. "Sam has to be nearby. Sam! Where are you?" the Skull Kid called.

Meanwhile, far behind the children, the guards fought the werewolf. They rammed their halberds and spears at the monster, but it kept swatting aside their polearms and pawing at their armour. The monster occasionally snapped his jaws at the polearms and helmets, but overall, could not get close enough to rip into flesh, nor did he have a means to defeat armour. The men were afraid, sticking their polearms out and keeping their distance, quivering under their helmets, and at times, a few guards would jump away from the monster.

"Let's surround the beast! Now! You two, with me!" the guard captain shouted, wielding a spear, smacking the helmets of two halberdiers to get their attention, and the three ran around the monster to attack him from behind. One halberdier swung his halberd down, the weapon hitting the beast behind the head, but apparently doing little. In fact, the edge of the axe blade curled.

Spinning around with a roar, the werewolf swiped his mighty paws at those attacking him from his back and charged, managing to trample over them, the fallen men screaming with fear. The werewolf went on all fours and darted off, but was limping from so many wounds. A few guards threw their spears at the fleeing best, one spear thudding into a tree the werewolf later passed, but the other two spears missed the monster.

"There he goes! We've driven him off for good!" a guard exclaimed with some relief, breathing hard and obviously tired like most of the others.

"We're not done! Look for the prince and princess, move it!" the guard captain yelled, pushing a few men forth, and their search continued.

As the children ran further away from the violence, noises caught up from behind them. Branches snapped from afar, the breaking limbs becoming louder with each passing second. Thudding footfall and deep breathing soon became faintly audible, and these too, were becoming louder and louder. Sheik and Zelda were sweating and panting heavily, inhaling caused sharp pain in their throat and lungs, and neither could run very well anymore.

"Ey! Get out of there!" Tara, a Skull Kid girl, shouted from the branches somewhere, resorting to grabbing a pinecone and throwing it at the incoming monster.

"Oh no! He's running after us!" Gödel cried as the rustling intensified, accompanied by heavy breathing. His words frightened Sheik, the prince quivering. In his rush of fear, Sheik ran into a low branch, which hit him on the head and he fell down.

Zelda noticed her brother fell, so she spun around to help him, gripping her sword and raising it. That was when she saw the beast emerge from the shrubbery, running on all fours, snarling, face bloodied. She helped Sheik up, both panting heavily, but it was obvious that the monster would reach them within seconds. The prince ran behind Zelda for protection, and she turned her head and gave him a weird look.

Luna realized she had to do something fast, stopping and spinning around to face her friends, Gödel also doing likewise. Not knowing what to do, Luna did the only thing she could think of. Taking a deep, sharp breath, Luna put her hands on the sides of her mouth, and howled.

Luna's call was answered by several other howls, which got the werewolf's attention, his running slowing down, distracting him enough to give Zelda and Sheik the one more second they needed to scram. Snapping out of his distraction, the werewolf looked forward, seeing a pair of red eyes leaping at him. The werewolf reared on his hind legs, growling, the silver Wolfos tackling into him.

The two lupine monsters clung to each other, clawing and biting and writhing against one another. The silver Wolfos, being faster, managed to dig her fangs into the werewolf's neck, and tasted blood. The werewolf growled, grabbing her head gradually overpowering the silver Wolfos, and then the cream and black Wolfos ran around the werewolf and jumped on his back, biting the back of his neck. Running to the scene were a baize and black Wolfos, both with yellow eyes, and a white Wolfos with red eyes. They charged the werewolf, leaping upon him, the five Wolfoses working together to bring him down. Falling onto one knee and feeling claws and fangs ripping him open, the werewolf growled and stood up, muscles tense.

Roaring, the werewolf grabbed the silver Wolfos by the head and slammed it against the ground, she letting off a low whine, and then the werewolf stomped on her stomach, and she was out of breath. The werewolf spun around, feeling the Wolfoses swing while their jaws still clung onto him, managing to grab the black one at an angle by the leg. Wrenching the black Wolfos' paw, the black Wolfos cried out in pain and let go, and was promptly slammed headfirst into the ground. He flopped over and went limp.

Roaring again, the werewolf raised his arms overhead and grabbed the black and cream Wolfos by the head, and flipping the black and cream Wolfos over himself, slammed him against the ground, and stomped on his jaw and heard it crack. The black and cream Wolfos cried out, and a kick across the jawbone took him out of action.

Regardless of the alphas' defeat, the baize and white Wolfoses continued their attack, clawing and biting with all that was left of their strength and stamina. Amidst the scuffle, the baize Wolfos clung to the werewolf's back to gnaw on his neck, and the white Wolfos clawed and bit his side. The werewolf managed to wrap an arm around the white Wolfos' head, putting him in a tight headlock, feeling the Wolfos wiggling and snapping his jaws. Thrashing side to side, the werewolf contorted the white Wolfos' neck, so much so, the white Wolfos was thrashed mid-air. The werewolf then grabbed the white Wolfos with both hands, lifted him overhead, and threw him against the ground, where he fell limply.

The werewolf had one foe left, who wrapped his legs around him and continued chewing on the back of his wounded neck. As blood leaked out at every heartbeat, the werewolf jumped while kicking his legs forth, landing heavily on his back, and so also landing atop the baize Wolfos, crushing him against the ground. The baize Wolfos huffed, out of breath, and the werewolf simply got up and stomped on the baize Wolfos' jaw, knocking him out.

Bloodied and bleeding, breathing heavily, and exhausted, the werewolf overheard more Wolfoses running around, but by now, they seemed to understand that they could not win this fight. The sound of the guards shouting and fighting the other Wolfoses influenced the werewolf to move on, even as the Wolfoses he injured began regaining consciousness and weakly growled at him.

Meanwhile, Luna, Zelda, Sheik, and the five Skull Kids regrouped nearby a large boulder, the children panting. The prince and princess both sat on the ground, uncomfortable from cramps and exhaustion. The Skull Kids, being undead, were not tired and stayed alert. Gödel sighed with relief, then looked at Luna, who was leaning against the boulder with her arms crossed, overly long sleeves covering her hands.

"Aww... I can't wait till I get home in bed." Zelda groaned, body aching.

"Yeah, me too. I miss mom." Sheik said, then hugged himself and lowered his chin. Once he remembered that sunrise slightly illuminated him, he toughened up, and stood.

"Hey, Luna... when you howled, did you call those Wolfoses?" the Skull Kid asked. Luna shrugged.

"I dunno. I've known that Wolfos pack for, like, ten years." Luna replied, then raised a few fingertips to her lips and looked off into the distance solemnly. "I hope they're safe."

"You knew a Wolfos pack for ten years?" Zelda asked, amazed.

"I thought they were monsters who kill people all the time." Tara commented.

"Well, no!" Luna almost shouted, clearly annoyed. "They are living things. They breathe, they think, have feelings, like people. They are like family to me, and I am like family to them." she continued with a calm voice, then felt sad and scared, worried about the Wolfos pack.

"Ha! Well, all I can say, is that I never would have ever guessed that we'd be saved from a werewolf by Wolfoses." Aram remarked.

"They're like people? Do they names?" Zelda asked.

"The silver one with red eyes and black claws is Rosfir, she is the alpha female, and a bit silly at times. The Wolfos with yellow eyes, black and cream fur, and bright orange claws is Kuriver, he is the alpha male. There is a baize Wolfos with yellow eyes, he's Piro. There is a black Wolfos with yellow eyes, he's Denol, a little silly sometimes. Rejo is a white Wolfos with red eyes." Luna answered.

"How do you know their names?" Sheik asked, but Luna just shrugged, then looked up at the boulder, and everyone else did the same as a large shadow formed over them. Staring back at them from atop the boulder peacefully, paused in a crawling position, drops of blood and drool patting down the rock, was the werewolf. Luna stepped back from the boulder, staring into the beast's eyes.

His face slowly changed into a very sinister look, lips parting, teeth showing, fur scrunching up along the muzzle, brow furrowing, muscles tensing, and eyes overflowing with hatred. The beast's heavy, guttural breathing returned.

The children did nothing, motionless and thoughtless. Zelda overheard footfall, and slowly turned her head to look back, raising her free hand to her mouth and looking surprised. She saw a silhouette approaching from behind everyone. As the sun started to appear at the horizon, its rays revealed that the silhouette was that of a knight, walking steadily and calmly, slightly leaning forwards, mail armour jingling as he walked.

He wore a black surcoat over a full-length mail shirt made of unpolished dark iron, the mail shirt having integrated mail mittens and coif. His mail shirt was split front and back at the groin, and reached his ankles. Over his surcoat, he wore a long, large, black cloak with an integrated hood, worn over a big, black, flat-topped great helm. Worn over the mail coif but beneath the great helm was a cervelliere. Both his surcoat and cloak reached his ankles, giving him quite an imposing appearance with his great helm. He also wore chausses, schynbalds, and vambraces, made of dark, unpolished iron, of course.

The black knight had long blond hair, some of which hung down over the front of his shoulders, definitely a contrast to his blankly black equipment.

In his left hand he wielded an arming sword, the blade, quillons and pommel left unpolished since its forging to retain darkness. His sword-belt was made of black leather, and the scabbards for his sword and dagger were both made of black wood. His dagger was essentially a miniature version of his sword, and hanging next to it was a bec de corbin, the head and langets made entirely of unpolished, dark iron, and the shaft made of dark hardwood, unsurprisingly. He carried a black kite shield in his right hand, the rim reinforced with unpolished dark iron.

The black knight stepped through the Skull Kids and little monarchs while looking up at the monster, the werewolf eyeing him angrily. Luna looked up at the black knight and stepped away from him, leaving him to stand before the boulder and stare back at the monster. The beast opened his mouth and then snapped it closed, and let off a loud angry bark, but the black knight was unfazed.

Making an inhaling snarl, the lycanthrope tensed and then jumped forth at the knight, the children running away. The knight immediately headbutted the werewolf mid-air, great helm thudding against skull, impact causing the knight to stagger and the werewolf to hit the ground. Seeing his chance, the knight intended to lunge his sword through the beast's neck, but the werewolf sat up and backhanded against the flat of the incoming blade, knocking it aside.

Dazed, the werewolf hopped to both feet, knees bent. The knight swung his sword overhead vertically, and the werewolf leaned backwards, sword tip cutting only into fur. Rearing his arm to swing again, the werewolf stepped in, grabbing the knight's forearm and then intending to bite him, but the knight simply punched the rim of his shield into the beast's nose. The strike caused the werewolf to let go of the knight's arm and stagger, but the beast nevertheless growled and drove himself forwards. The knight immediately lunged his sword, extending his arm and body going sideways, and ran his sword straight through the beast's chest.

Surprisingly, the beast writhed up the blade, chest reaching the crossguard, and grabbed the knight by the shoulders. Unable to overpower the werewolf and now disarmed, the knight bent his knees and presented his shield, pushing it in the beast's face. The werewolf bit the shield and reared, pulling the shield out the knight's grasp and spitting it aside.

Just as the werewolf removed his shield, the knight headbutted the werewolf in the mouth, hearing a few teeth crack and the beast growl in pain. The monster began pawing the knight's head, smashing his paws as if padded hammers, impact smacking the knight around a little.

Once he regained himself, the knight tackled into the werewolf, left hand grasping his sword by the handle, and right hand going around the werewolf to grab the sword by the blade. Both hands grasping the sword, the knight slid the sword side to side, trying to saw it out the beast's body, and rip him open.

The werewolf felt the blade sliding to and fro against his bones, so he spun around, movement throwing the knight up, but he remained grasping the sword. Upon landing, the knight repeatedly struck the monster with his knees, kneeing into the abdomen and sternum. The monster growled, and resorting to pushing the knight back with both hands, staggering him, then unleashed a flurry of paw swipes into his foe's helm, staggering him again. A push kick into the sternum knocked the knight flat on his back.

While the knight sat up, shook his head, and picked himself up, the werewolf grabbed the sword with his right hand and pulled the sword out himself while softly growling. The knight did not care, and walked to the beast. The lycanthrope swung the sword at the knight, who leaned forwards so that the blade simply struck his helm, the hit causing a few sparks and nudging the knight's head back, but doing little.

The werewolf swung the sword again, hitting the side of the helm again. At the same time, the knight quickly wrapped his left arm around the werewolf's right arm, so that the knight's forearm pressed against the beast's elbow from the outside. By sharply pushing against the bend of the elbow, the pain causing the beast to growl, but he kept hold of the sword. The knight, still keeping his arm lock in place, began kicking the werewolf in the legs and knee striking the sternum, and also punching the beast in the belly.

After receiving several hits from hand, knee and foot, the werewolf finally grabbed the knight by the helm to do something, and that was when the knight applied pressure in his arm lock again, even grabbing his left forearm to pull on it with greater force. The ensuing force caused the elbow to buckle again, inflicting enough pain for the beast to whine aloud and drop the sword. Angry, the monster suddenly kicked the knight in the crotch, mail jingling, and the knight knelt from pain. The beast then raised a knee to the knight's chest, mail jingling from impact, and a second knee strike into the flexible mail caused the knight to fall onto his back.

"YYYEEEAAARRRGH!" Zelda suddenly screeched, running from out of nowhere, brandishing her little sword. She managed to swing her little sword and made a cut into the beast's side, but her attack did not seem to do much. The werewolf looked at her and she immediately ran away, and then the knight suddenly dropkicked the werewolf in the head, knocking the beast over.

Both combatants got up at the same time, the beast swinging his paws to and fro, the knight occasionally leaning away and kicking the werewolf in the knees and shins, to prevent the beast from grabbing him.

Hit a few times in the helm, the knight suddenly ducked as a paw swung overhead, and then he tackled into the werewolf's midsection, wrapping his arms around the beast's legs and pulling them towards himself. The werewolf fell onto his back, the knight mounting the beast and proceeding to pummeling his face and head with punches. The werewolf groaned, putting his arms in the way of the knight's punches and pushing his head back.

Grabbing the werewolf's right hand with his own right hand, the knight pulled the werewolf's right arm across himself and held it against the ground, then repeatedly threw left-hand punches into the beast's head. After receiving several punches, the lycanthrope managed to bite over the knight's mail-clad left hand, putting an end to the punches. The werewolf then grasped the knight by the shoulder with his free hand, and then raising his hips powerfully to push the knight up a little, spun around while pulling on the knight using grip and teeth, escaping the mount.

Before the werewolf could mount the knight from behind, the knight suddenly flailed his head back, smacking his helm into the monster's face yet again. The werewolf grabbed his nose and reared from pain with a bark, but quickly managed to put the knight in a headlock from behind anyways. Since the great helm covered the knight's neck, the werewolf was unable to crack his neck, but could still crank the head side to side to strain the neck.

Unable to free himself, the knight resorted to unsheathing his dagger, held with the tip down from the hand, and stabbed it repeatedly backwards into the side of the beast's waist. After a few stabs, the beast picked the knight up with both hands, albeit with some struggle, then slammed the knight headfirst into the ground. The knight landed heavily, mail jingling loudly, but since the great helm was worn and supported by the shoulders, the force distributed through his shoulders, not his neck, but the impact still caused him to drop his dagger.

Bleeding, the werewolf skipped away, jumping atop the boulder and holding in the stab wounds, and the sword through his chest. With a little of the sun peeking over the horizon, the beast watched as the knight picked himself up, but seemed unable to find his dagger. After making a lighter, faster growl, the werewolf leapt at the knight again, growling, wild-eyed, arms extending.

Estimating the werewolf's descent, the knight positioned himself sideways, arms at either side but hands curled up. Then, as the werewolf dove, the knight curled his left arm over the werewolf's right shoulder, and scooped his right arm past the werewolf's groin so that the hand reached above the waist. By momentarily catching the werewolf mid-air like this, the knight used inertia to spin around and slam the werewolf's back against the ground, hard, the werewolf grunting aloud from his heavy landing.

Crawling above the lycanthrope, the knight pushed his hands against the beast's neck and shoulder, the monster instinctively biting his vambrace. The knight then proceeded to repeatedly headbutting the werewolf in the face, mouth and head. While the great helm thudded against the monster's head, blood began to spatter out, covering the front of the great helm and drizzling down it. Blood also leaked all over the beast's face.

In serious trouble, the monster resorted to grabbing the knight's helm with both hands, and wrenching it to the side, pulled the knight off himself. Thrusting both feet into the knight's body, the lycanthrope pushed him away, giving himself the space to get back up. The werewolf panted heavily, obviously exhausted from exertion and wounds.

Staying on all fours, the beast quickly crawled to the knight, grabbing him by the legs and biting his leg, the knight bending both knees and spreading his legs, to lower his centre of gravity and be harder to throw down. He then clubbed the monster in the back of the neck repeatedly. Nevertheless, the beast managed to pull the knight's legs towards himself, and the knight fell, though the monster could never chew through mail and plate.

The knight sat up and started throwing punches at the werewolf, who stopped biting the armour, and rolled his shoulders to try and avoid some punches. Unsure of how to deal with a heavily armoured opponant, the beast let go, stood up, and started stomping against the knight's body.

After receiving a few stomps, the knight managed to grab a foot with both hands and rolled, twisting the leg, and so causing the monster to lose balance and fall down. Not wanting to end up in a leg lock, the monster grabbed his trapped leg with both hands and pulled it out the knight's grasp, then skipped back, wanting a short break to catch his breath.

The knight got up, audibly panting through the breathe holes of his helm. Both of them looked to the side and saw the rising sun, early morning slightly brightening up the forest, and in the distance, birdsong echoed. The knight and the werewolf looked back at each other. The beast knew that, with the extra light, the knight would be able to find his sword and dagger from the ground soon, which would be a fight too much to continue, especially now that he was exhausted, busted open, and bleeding.

The werewolf's head shook with rage, blood leaking down several paths along the monster's head and face, some dropping onto his chest, thighs, and the ground. He exhaled through his nose, expelling a puff of blood, let off a loud angry bark, and took off on all fours, soon disappearing.

Obviously unable to catch such a fast monster, the knight did not bother a pursuit. Instead, he leaned over to pick up his sword and dagger, which he could see now that the day was brighter. After wiping the blood off the blades with a handful of leaves, he sheathed sword and dagger, then went to pick up his shield. Overhearing footfall, and ever alert as always, he spun around to see who was walking behind him.


	35. Chapter 34, parts 1 and 2

**Chapter 34, part 1**

 **Let's go**

 _magna est vis consuetudinis (great is the force of habit)_

 _\- Cicero_

The black knight saw a small girl, carefully, quietly, and nervously approaching him. She looked scared.

"Um, thanks?" Luna said quietly, and then, before the black knight could react, Luna darted away. The knight partly extended his left arm and took a step forward, to gesture he was safe and wanting to help, but Luna was quickly out of sight. The knight wondered what he did wrong, but it was too late to do anything now.

* * *

"Is it safe?" Sheik's voice chirped from somewhere amidst the shrubbery.

"I think so, I sure can't see anyone anymore." Blondie replied, standing on a tree branch to keep an eye out.

"Is that scary grown-up gone, too?" Sam asked.

"Yes, Aram, he's gone." Blondie replied.

"I asked that, not Aram." Sam remarked, though Blondie did not seem to hear.

"Maybe the monster is hiding somewhere? You are he's not anywhere here?" Zelda asked.

"We would have heard him breathing, or at least the Wolfoses barking at him." Luna commented.

"OK then, we should be able to sneak back home." Sheik said, crawling out his hiding spot in the bush.

"Are you kidding? We'll be grounded for life!" Zelda warned.

"No, wait, I mean... OK, I have an idea. I'll tell mom I saw you in trouble with the Keeses, so I went to save you." Sheik suggested.

"Oh, yeah, so all the trouble gets put on me? Because obviously, you did nothing wrong?" Zelda replied, then popped her head out the bush to look around, hand on her forehead. "A better idea is that I saw you wandering around with your friend, so I took my sword to save you."

"What? No way!" Sheik said with some heat, then turning his head to see a few Skull Kids and Luna step out their hiding spots. Luna looked at the rising sun and felt better, especially now that the growling and barking was replaced with birdsong, then she looked back at Sheik.

"What do you mean telling mom?" Luna asked, puzzled by such words.

"Hunh?" Sheik exclaimed with a weird face, but his facial expression changed to one of confirmation. "Oh! Right, as a fairy child, you don't have parents. We have grown-ups, we are born from mothers. It's hard to explain." the prince continued, scratching the back of his head.

"Well, if you want to go back to the castle, we can take you there. It's easy for us." Tara said.

"Yeah, that's what you wanted, right?" Gödel asked. Zelda and Sheik looked at each other, both a little afraid.

"We need to think of something to not get in trouble." Sheik said.

"I know!" Zelda nearly shouted, "Just, just, just... OK, wait a sec, actually, no..." Zelda spoke, hand under her chin and she trying to devise a great plan, then looked at Luna, and smiled.

"What?" Luna asked, staring back blankly. Zelda turned her eyes to look at her brother.

"We say we saw your friend, lost and alone, chased by the werewolf. So, we quickly went out to save her! Ha! That'll work perfectly!" Zelda almost cheered.

"Zelda... do you know how silly that sounds?" Sheik commented, crossing his arms and shaking his head dismissively.

"Hey!" Zelda yelled, leaning into her brother, who slightly leaned back. "You're the one acting like a hero all the time! You wanted to be her hero!" she yelled again, then calmed down and gestured to Luna. "So, y'know, let's pretend we saved her or something. I have a good feeling about this, because mom was also friend with a fairy child!" the princess continued, then made a sinister little smile, putting her fingers together. "Now, that's wisdom." Zelda complimented herself.

"I guess we have to try. I hope mom won't be too mad." Sheik said nervously, and Luna looked worried about him.

"Alright, let's go! It's not that far, maybe half an hour's walk or so." Gödel spoke, and the children travelled, sometimes checking their backs. Thankfully, there were no monsters, but unbeknownst to them, the silver Wolfos kept her eye out on them, concealed in the forest.

Later that morning, the children reached the edge of the forest, and beheld the eastern side of Hyrule Castle. Overall, not much changed, though it appeared that all the castle guards were out in the forest, as none could be seen patrolling the grounds or walls. Regardless, the kids still hid in the bushes, scouting the scenery.

"Looks like all the guards are gone. I bet we can climb back to my room easy!" Sheik stated happily, "Follow me, everyone!" he chirped, then leapt out the bushes. Immediately, a loud, strong whistle sounded, so loud that it caused Sheik and the Skull Kids to jump, and Zelda screamed while putting her hands over her mouth.

"There you are!" the guard captain exclaimed, picking up Sheik by the back of his belt, the prince trying to run away on all fours, but since he was lifted off the ground, that did not really work. A few more castle guards ran towards the scene, having heard the whistle.

"What? Have we been spotted?" Aram asked cluelessly, he and the other Skull Kids popping their heads out the bushes, and promptly noticed the guards.

"Hey! We don't like grown-ups!" Gödel threatened.

"What are you gonna do? Put darts in your flute and blow them at us?" one of the guards asked as he came to the scene.

"Um, yeah, that's actually exactly what I was thinking..." Blondie mumbled, looking and feeling her pockets, "Except I don't have any darts." she admitted.

"What are Skull Kids doing here, anyways? Go on, get lost!" another guard said, brushing his spear over the bushes to scare away the Skull Kids, but they stood their ground, and then Zelda's head popped out the bush.

"Hey! Watch where you point that thing!" Zelda whined, and the soldier immediately pulled his spear back and slightly reared.

"Oh? Uh, my princess, sorry about that..." the guard whimpered. Zelda stood tall, fixing her mitre, pulling it sideways, and then bravely and proudly stepped out the bush.

"Oh? There you are." the guard captain remarked, then let his arm drop, still holding Sheik, whose feet touched the ground again.

"Yes, here I am." Zelda said, then turned to face the Skull Kids. "Thank you for taking me to the castle. I no longer require your services, so you are free to go your way." she told them, and the Skull Kids nodded.

"OK, we'll get going, then." Tara said, and the Skull Kids went back into the bushes, but did not actually walk away. Zelda slowly turned to face the guards.

"Now, could you kindly escort me to my domain, good sir, immediately." Zelda stated with a raised chin and partly closed eyes.

"And here I was expecting you would just scurry away... We thought you two got kidnapped or ran away or something." the guard captain remarked.

"Me? Kidnapped? Please... You, sir, are the one who is more likely to get kidnapped, and I would have to be the one rescuing you." Zelda assured, walking a short distance past the guards, hands clasped behind her back. She then stopped, overlooking the castle. "Oh, and you can put my stupid brother down, he won't scurry." Zelda continued, and the guard captain dropped Sheik.

"Alright, come with us. Let's get you back to your mother before she has a heart attack." the guard captain said, then gestured his men to follow him.

"Wait! What about Luna?" Sheik exclaimed, turning around and pointing at the bush, but Luna could not be seen.

"Who's that?" the guard captain asked, turning his head to see what the prince was whining about.

"My friend, she's from the forest." Sheik explained eagerly.

"Only royals and those with official business are allowed in the castle." the guard captain stated. "Come on, let's go, or I will carry you back home." he warned. Sheik's heart dropped, head and shoulders lowering. He lifted his chin and looked for Luna, but she could not be seen.

"Luna!" Sheik called, but she did not reply.

"Sheik! We need to move, now!" the guard captain yelled, his voice scaring Sheik a little, but he disobeyed and waited anyway.

After a few seconds, Sheik saw Luna running to him. The other guards and Zelda stopped to see why Sheik was stalling. Sheik looked quite sad to have to go, and not be able to be with Luna. He held her hands sadly, looking down at them.

"I'm sorry, Luna, you're not allowed in the castle. I have to go, I don't want mom to be worried sick." Sheik said.

"It's OK, Sheik." Luna whispered, then leaned forward a bit, "I'll try to meet you again tonight, at the same place we first met." she whispered much more quietly. She did not noticed until now that Sheik looked so tired.

"Oh?" Sheik exclaimed, overhearing the guard captain approach. "I'll be grounded, but I will try to meet you there too, if I can." Sheik whispered back. The two made eye contact, smiled, and nodded. Sheik then let go of her hands and walked away with the guards and his sister. Luna watched them go, then overheard footfall.

"Well! Not that often forest kids get to meet the prince and princess!" Blondie said aloud, moving a hand through her hair.

"Hah-hah! Yeah!" Aram exclaimed.

"Not that often they nearly get killed by a monster, either." Gödel commented.

"Aw, c'mon Gödel! It was fun!" Tara said, playfully pushing Gödel's shoulder with one hand.

"Well, not the fun I'd want to do again..." Gödel admitted.

"It would be, if you got to hit the beast with your flute!" Blondie said aloud, the Skull Kids chuckling.

"Ha! Yeah, I'd still pay to see Gödel hit a monster with his flute." Sam remarked.

"So, Luna, what're you gonna do?" Aram asked.

"Hmm?" Luna exclaimed, turning her head, "Oh, nothing, just wander around the castle town again, I guess." she said, then stretched and yawned rudely. "But I'm actually pretty tired from last night." she continued while yawning.

"OK, but we can't go with you, if you're alright with that." Blondie said.

"Yeah, no problems, guys, I'll be alright. You stay safe, too. Bye!" Luna said, the Skull Kids also saying bye, then she and they took their leave.

"Oh, wait! Luna!" Gödel said aloud, running to Luna, so she stopped and turned to see what he wanted.

"I totally forgot, but we said we told the Twins we would be looking for you. I will admit I don't really care if you choose to stay or leave Kokiri Forest, but when we can, we will tell the fairy children you're doing good." Gödel said. Luna became angry, clenching her fists, but held in her anger it in.

"Oh, right, I forgot about that. Heh, heh..." Blondie mumbled.

"It's OK, we did our part. Now, we'll let Luna do hers, whatever it happens to be." Tara said, and her words made Luna feel calm and better. The Skull Kids did not seem to notice

"Yeah, exactly. OK, bye again." Luna said quickly and plainly, then took her leave again.

"Bye-bye, Luna." Gödel remarked, and the Skull Kids went their way.

* * *

 **Chapter 34, part 2**

 **The Queen**

 _matre pulcha, filia pulchrior (a daughter more beautiful than her beautiful mother)_

 _\- Horace_

The guard captain sent the other guards back to their patrols. He then took Sheik and Zelda to the front of the castle, walked across the drawbridge, and entered the castle. The guards saluted him as he passed them. Inside, the three walked up the stairway. The castle interior was decorated with blue carpets, suits of armour, paintings, and gilded metal torches that burned with smokeless fire. They occasionally passed small groups of nobles, guards, retainers, merchants, or clerics, some of whom nodded to the prince and princess, or commented they were glad to see them safe.

Once they reached the upper section of the keep, the guard captain stopped before a fleet of stairs. He looked up the stairs, then to the royals, neither of whom said anything.

"I think it's best you see mother on your own, and you know the way from here. You know, she went with us to find you, and engaged in combat with the monster even when the guards were too scared. She thought that the monster killed you. I can only imagine what horror must have been going through her head, she wept all night." the guard captain said softly, then gestured the children to go on without him. "Go on, your mother is waiting."

At that, the guard captain began walking away, Sheik and Zelda starting to go up the stairs.

"Oh," the guard captain exclaimed as he stopped and turned around, the princess and prince doing likewise, "and next time you both run away, could you kindly not terrify the entire castle, please?" he asked. Zelda and Sheik nodded at the same time, both still looking tired and a little scruffy. At that, the guard captain nodded and took his leave, and the children went up the stairs.

"I hope mom won't freak out." Zelda remarked quietly, clearly nervous. Sheik wanted to talk about his plans from before, but decided not too. Plotting in the background was certainly easier than approaching the problem. Sheik simply placed his hand on his sister's shoulder, siblings looking at each other, but said nothing.

Zelda and Sheik eventually entered their mother's quarters, silently, barely opening the door. It was quite a nice bedroom, fit for a queen, and having a fireplace, currently not lit. Closed curtains dimmed the room, giving it a slightly eerie look. Suits of armour flanked the fireplace. In front of the stain-glass windows was a broad desk, full of books and paperwork stacked up rather high. More paperwork and books were piled underneath the desk, and another pair of suits of armour flanked the desk, empty visors staring back at the princess and prince.

The siblings tiptoed side by side towards the desk, their view gradually going around the pile of papers. Soon, they saw someone, seated, arms crossed on the desktop and head in her arms, long, straight blonde hair concealing her face. She slept, breathing lightly, the papers beneath her face damp. The sleeping lady wore a long crimson velvet dress and tall leather boots, but no jewellery.

"Mom?" Sheik whispered softly, tapping the lady's shoulder, but she remained asleep for a few more seconds.

The lady then slowly, very slowly, lifted her head, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands. She inhaled, and looked at her children with a pair of sleep-deprived blue eyes, hair a little messy. At first, she did not react, but then, Zelda and Sheik smiled at the same time.

"We're back, mom." Princess Zelda said.

The queen put a hand over her heart, eyes big, rearing in her seat a little. She felt great weight fall off her shoulders, then sunk into her seat, closed her eyes, and took a deep, slow breath. She leaned out of her chair and embraced both her children tightly, her head between theirs.

"I thought I lost you." Queen Zelda said, keeping her eyes closed. She just wanted to be with her children, silently.


	36. Chapter 35 - Destiny?

**Chapter 35**

 **Destiny**

 _I seem to have been only a boy playing on the seashore and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or prettier shell than ordinary, while the ocean of truth lay undiscovered before me._

 _\- Sir Isaac Newton_

Midday came. The black knight reached the castle town, but minded his own business. Due to his imposing appearance, everyone left him alone and kept their distance, even the guards. Walking across the drawbridge, the black knight noticed a crowd of people at the market, surrounding the fountain.

"How did it get here?" a woman asked, a few people shrugging.

"Wasn't here yesterday..." a man commented.

"But what is he?" a boy asked, leaning over the walls of the fountain and putting his hands into the water.

"Don't touch him!" a girl squeaked.

"Be careful, you'll scare it away again." a father warned.

"Aw, he got away again." the boy remarked, then leaned back out of the fountain, and turned his head. He saw the black knight approaching. "Daddy, who's that?"

The black knight made no reaction to the crowd, walking along casually, only his footfall and jingling mail making noise. Some mothers slightly pulled their children back, some people stepped away, and a few took their leave. The two guards at either side of the path toward the castle kept a stolid watch on the knight, but did nothing, even as he passed them.

One of the bystanders was a woman, a long-haired redhead with blue eyes, quite a rare combination. She wore a bright purple dress, leather boots, a cream-coloured short-sleeved shirt, and a yellow scarf.

"Hunh, his armour, it's different. He's not from around here, is he?" the redhead commented, crossing her arms.

"Definitely not. I wonder why he's here?" an older, taller, larger, fat lady in a white dress remarked, her mutt lightly barking at the knight.

After the knight moved on, the crowd's attention swarmed back to the fountain, and murmuring commenced. The blue tadpole-like creature Luna left swam around, sometimes bobbing and staring back at the onlookers curiously, fins and tail gently flowing. Occasionally, people tossed bits of bread into the waters, and as the bread sank, the creature would swim over and eat. The citizenry could only wonder what the thing was, and gradually, more and more people came, to have a look at the new attraction.

Meanwhile, the black knight continued his walk, sometimes looking to the sides, seeing the various mansions built upon the hills of the path leading to the castle, and the guards stationed up there looked down upon him. At times, the knight would walk slower, and then look behind himself, but saw no one following him. Nevertheless, it felt like someone was there.

Eventually, up ahead was a gatehouse. The spearman standing watch looked middle-aged, a veteran guard, who was quite experienced at standing in front of a gate and doing nothing. He was not intimidated at the sight of the black knight.

"The castle's closed to outsiders, official business only." the guard commented. Without saying anything, the black knight searched his satchel and withdrew a letter, showing it to the guard, who read it, and held in a chuckle. Without saying anything, the guard returned the letter, then tapped the butt of his spear against the ground, and the gate gradually slid open sideways. The knight carried on. While walking up the path, the knight stopped, then looked behind himself, but saw no one.

The black knight made his way along the path, and the guards left him alone. He reached the stairway leading up to the drawbridge, and the guards immediately demanded his business. The knight simply showed them the same letter as before, and they read it. After reading it, both guards paused for a second.

"What an old letter, you sure don't see those that often anymore." a guard commented, giving it back.

"I will also inform the herald about you, sir, this will allow you in the castle without any problems." the other guard said, and walked into the castle with the knight.

Sheik and Zelda were in the throne room, sitting beside each other on the throne. Before the royal siblings was a desk, full of paperwork, books and scrolls, as well as a chessboard and chess pieces, some pieces off the board. At first, it would appear that the royal children were busily managing the kingdom's paperwork or planning their next move in chess, but they were, instead, drawing pictures with wax pastels. They sometimes fought over pages to use.

"Give me that!" Princess Zelda squeaked, extending her arm, but Sheik pulled his page away, which had a simple drawing of a boy fighting a dragon. On the other side of the page, was a drawing of a dark, dead forest with a black tower off in the distance.

"No, it's mine! Go away!" Prince Sheik growled, Zelda leaning over him to get the paper back, knocking over several chess pieces, but Sheik managed to keep it out of her reach. The two kids continued fighting over the paper.

The throne hall had a blue carpet, and royal guards stood along the walls, spaced apart by twenty feet or so. The royal guards wore white armour consisting of cuirass, vambraces with long cuffs, greaves, and sabatons. Underneath the plate armour, they wore long-sleeved mail shirts integrated with fingerless mail mittens. The backplate had a raised collar.

Royal guards wore a peculiar helmet resembling a tall, large bascinet without a visor, the top gilded, and having a gilded Triforce on the brow, and another gilded Triforce above with, much smaller, placed above an engraving of a laurel wreath. The lower front of the breastplate had a gilded Triforce as well. The tops and bottoms of the greaves, and the entirety of both spaulders, were gilded. They wore white leggings over purple trousers, held up by leather straps connecting to the belt.

The shafts of the royal guards' spears and halberds were purple. Each royal guard had a sheathed longsword and dagger, scabbards and hilts white and gilded. The royal guards stood motionlessly, like statues, not even reacting to the siblings' little war. Their activity pushed things around, several more chess pieces and an inkwell knocked over.

As the two kids fought, they overheard footfall, paused mid-fight, and looked over the table. Standing nearby, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, was mom, now dressed very elegantly in velvety attire, adorning bejewelled golden rings on her fingers and ears, and wearing a golden tiara. She stared at her kids with a face that was neither upset nor glad, perfectly yet stolidly regal. The queen made a slight sigh, and slightly tilted her head, eyes looking down.

"Oh, uh... sorry mom." Princess Zelda mumbled, she and her brother returning to normal and sitting properly. Zelda stroked her dress across her lap.

"I cannot leave you two alone even for a little while before you start fighting." Queen Zelda commented, but her offspring said nothing. "What do you think would happen if I told father?"

"He'd probably be angry." Princess Zelda replied quietly, looking down. Queen Zelda walked around the table, then stroked Sheik's head, the boy rolling his shoulders to get away. Queen Zelda chuckled.

"C'mon, mom, I'm not a baby." Sheik whined, a little embarrassed, but the royal guards did nothing.

"No matter how old you are, you will always be my baby." Queen Zelda assured, smiling.

"Hah hah!" Princess Zelda teased, sticking her tongue out a bit and pointing at Sheik, who dismissively waved his arm at her.

"You, too." Queen Zelda said, patting her daughter on her mitre.

"Ha! Good thing I have a hat!" Princess Zelda exclaimed, so the queens troked the princess' cheek and the girl immediately leaned away, sucking in her lower lip under her upper teeth and raising her forearms to her chest as if a cat ready to pounce.

Queen Zelda then noticed the spilled inkwell, which had obviously ruined several papers and left a sticky mess. The queen sighed, she really did not want to do any work today, placing her fists on her hips and just staring at all that paperwork. Princess Zelda blushed from guilt. Mother noticed, then got an idea, clasping her hands.

"You know what? How about we go to the courtyard, and take a break from everything?" she proposed sweetly.

Later, Queen Zelda took her children to the so-called Castle Courtyard, which was at the other side of the southern wall of the throne room. It was essentially a garden-like grounds, having various pretty flowers, and surrounded by flowing water along a channel adjacent to the walls in the ground. The end of the area had a small set of stairs going up to a platform, leading to a wall with a window overlooking a section of the throne room before the throne. The opposite direction was the entrance to the Castle Courtyard, a large passageway in the large wall, and before that were various open areas betwixt walls with hedges and statues.

"You know what this place needs?" Princess Zelda chirped, she lying on her belly at the edge of the grounds and looking down into the flowing water. "Fishing!"

"Fishing?" Sheik asked, who stood with mom, the two examining various flowers and the insets they attracted, a Golden Butterfly flying by and landing on Sheik's nose. He paused, mouth opening a little, both eyes pointing inwards, and then the golden bug flew away. "There's not enough space for fish here." he continued, rubbing his face. Mother was smiling softly.

"Well, still, it'd be cool to have some fish swimming around." Princess Zelda remarked, getting up and brushing her dress. "Mom, will we ever go to the Fishing Pond?" she asked. Mother cocked her head, eyebrows furrowed.

"Have you already forgotten about you being in trouble and grounded?" Queen Zelda asked.

"Mom..." the princess whined.

"After what happened, I do not think I will leave either of you out of my sight." mom said.

"And that's exactly why we sneak away once in a while." Princess Zelda stated, keeping eye contact with mother, looking like she enjoyed a little conflict once in a while. "Obviously, it will take more than a castle and a spy to keep me couped up." the princess assured.

"Zelda... A princess has no business roaming the wilderness. A prince having an adventure abroad I can understand, but not a lady like you, especially now when it is so dangerous. Can Hyrule's destiny really depend on such a disobedient girl?" the queen asked. Sheik stayed quiet.

"Ugh! Mom!" the princess nearly shouted, raising her arms for a moment, "You're the one with the Triforce of Wisdom on her hand, not me!" she continued, showing the back of her right hand to mother, where clearly there was nothing. "I am not a Princess of Destiny, I'm pretty sure the Goddesses didn't choose me for anything." Princess Zelda said, then dropped her arms and looked angry, clenching her fists and narrowing her eyebrows. "Or maybe you're just too stupid to notice that?" she spat, clearly upset. Sheik's eyes went big for a second.

"Zelda..." mom said, stepping to her daughter and leaning at her, the princess crossing her arms grumpily and standing her ground. "This is our lineage and divine duty. We cannot escape our destiny. There is evil out there, and you are safest in the castle walls. You are just a child, you are too young to understand."

"Seriously, mom? Didn't you spend a number of years outside the castle? Running around and hiding from the evil that you ended up defeating? You did not need the castle walls, they obviously failed you. Don't you think I can do the same?" Princess Zelda firmly spoke. Mom suddenly had a sad face, reflecting about unhappy memories. Sheik did not like seeing mom unhappy but kept quiet.

"Ohhh! You are just like your dad." Queen Zelda acknowledged with some heat.

"Admitting defeat, hmm?" Princess Zelda asked with a snide face.

"I... Zelda, I just want you to have a happy childhood. You have only one chance at it. Do not waste it, or you might end up regretting it forever." mom explained, then straightened her back, but still stared at her daughter. "Hyrule Castle is your home, the place you are supposed to be, the place you are meant to be." Mother's words calmed Princess Zelda.

"I know, but... I want to be like you, but just without the Legend." Princess Zelda admitted softly. Her words, although spoken softly, impacted mom. Mother stroked her hair out of her eyes, looking sad, eyebrows tilted to the sides. She looked like she wanted to say something, but then walked away, head low.

"Mom?" Sheik asked, but mother stayed silent, walking toward the window overlooking the throne hall.

The princess and prince looked at each other, then went after mom. She sadly stood before the window, eyes low, and just thought to herself. Sheik and Zelda approached mother, wondering what was wrong with her.

"If you end up like me... you will live with guilt and regret for the rest of your life." mother said as if she admitted a crime. This very window brought back memories of what happened long ago, and the consequences of her actions. Was it all her fault? She heard her children walk to her, Sheik standing by her left, Zelda by her right, both looking up at her.

"You never told us anything about that. Mom, what's wrong?" Sheik asked.

"You know, Sheik, I can only wonder what else mother hides from us." Princess Zelda asked, Sheik looking at her, making a pleading facial expression. He never knew why his sister usually kept her politeness for new people, yet was quite the little rebel.

For a moment, Queen Zelda wanted to talk to her kids about her regret and guilt, but her head dropped with a sigh. She placed her right hand on her left elbow, closed her eyes, and just breathed. What if her children followed the same road as she did? What if the princess just was not meant for this destiny? Or was this a repeating, inevitable fate no matter what? Well, all she knew, was that so long ago, she was too young to understand the journeys that awaited her.

"You are... too young to understand." Queen Zelda somberly replied to her son.

"Why are we too young to understand?" Sheik asked, mom chuckled.

"You will understand when you have your own kids. It takes time." mother answered, then the three were silent. Soon, mother felt someone tugging her arm.

"M-mom? Who's that?" Sheik asked worriedly.

Mother slightly turned her head to the left, noticing someone approaching with the corner of her eye. She steadily turned around, making a little gasp, right hand raised to her chin, eyes big, eyebrows raised. The prince and princess were equally as surprised as their mother, leaning into her.

"Who... who are you? How did you get past the guards?" Queen Zelda asked nervously. The black knight stood silently before her and her children.

He raised his right hand and pulled his hood back, black great helm gazing at the Royal Family with a predatory look of iron. He placed his hand on the pommel of his sword, slightly leaning forward, as if to look down. Queen Zelda furrowed her eyebrows upon noticing his hand on his sword, but then, she looked sad, eyes lowering. Keeping her head low and eyes closed, the queen stepped forth and embraced the knight tightly, resting her head on his chest. Sheik and his sister were surprised and uneasy by what mother did, but did nothing.

The black knight did not return the hug, hands slightly raised, as if surprised, but the queen said nothing. After a few seconds, the knight finally returned the hug, gently, and they silently remained in each other's arms. Not even armour could hold back her heart. Gradually, the two let go of each other, but Queen Zelda held the knight's left hand with both her hands, looking down sadly.

"How did you know it was me?" whispered the black knight, and then Zelda slowly let go of his hand. He then raised his hands, grabbed the sides of his great helm, and steadily took it off, revealing an unforgettable face.


	37. Chapter 36 - Memories

**Chapter 36**

 **Memories**

 _Le vrai n'est pas toujours vraisemblable. (Truth is not always probable.)_

 _\- Boileau_

His eyes were as blue as Zelda remembered, hers brighter than his, but dark circles and eye bags made him look haggard. His eyes were strained by much squinting from desert sun, snow-blindness, flames, noxious fumes, sharp winds, and only the Goddesses knew what else.

Long hair and a thick, full, short beard now adorned his head, kept clean but was a little messy. How some of his hair hung down either side of his head, and his thick beard, reminded Zelda of a lion's mane. Other than all that extra hair and tired eyes, he still looked exactly as she remembered him: a young man with a cautious, curious, cute face. If there ever could be the apex of courage, heroism, loyalty, and valor, it was him. If adventure itself could ever manifest into a man, it would only be him.

Questions raced through Zelda's mind. Where had he been? How many kingdoms had he visited? How many lost lands had he ventured? How many quests had he accepted? How many people had he saved? How many monsters had he slain? How many nations had he freed? Zelda could not have the faintest clue, but she did not care. She was just glad he was finally back, and felt a lot of ghostly weight roll off her shoulders.

He did not look happy. He held his helm between his arm and waist for convenience, then saw Sheik and Zelda waddle to the scene, standing at either side of mother.

"Because I know you." Queen Zelda answered Link's question.

"Mom, who's that?" Sheik asked, Queen Zelda looking at her son, and then suddenly realizing that Link had never met her children.

"Oh!" the queen exclaimed, putting a hand over her mouth. "Zelda, Sheik, this is Link, the Hero of Time." she introduced.

"Really? So you were real after all." Princess Zelda remarked nonchalantly, but her brother looked up at Link in awe. His sister just rolled her eyes, crossing her arms and looking away.

Queen Zelda then placed her arms around her kids, giving the princess a little shake to remind her to be courteous, but the girl looked uninterested.

"Link, these are my children, Zelda and Sheik." Queen Zelda introduced a little shyly, eyes partly closing. She then felt a little nervous. Queen Zelda did wonder what would have happened if she married Link, and he undoubtedly must have had that thought cross his mind at least a few times. How would he react to this? Would he feel sad? Betrayed? Like he missed out on something?

Link just smiled warmly, then made a little nod. Queen Zelda warmly smiled back at her hero, shoulders lowering a bit, feeling pleased and relieved she could see him happy. It was rare to see Link smile, and his smile gave her hope. She noticed Link's eyes moved to the side, so Queen Zelda turned around to look at the window frame behind them, her children also turning their heads. Old memories came.

"He's still gone?" Link asked with a little humour. Zelda tittered, sliding her hands off her kids, and then clasping her hands, arms low.

"After I sent you back to your time... I waited. I was so scared. I thought that maybe _his_ banishment failed, or would not apply to the past... but it did. The Evil King remains sealed away in the Sacred Realm, banished from our past, present, future... and then I saw you again." Queen Zelda spoke. She looked back to Link. "And we were together as children, again, in peace... I cherished every precious moment like there would never be another..."

Sheik and Zelda became interested in mother's words, and kept quiet. They really wanted to know about their mother's difficult past. Mother's pleasant demeanor slowly faded away, and then she looked rather sad, almost guilty and remorseful.

"After you left all those years ago... I thought I would never see you again. " the queen said. "It's so good to see you, Link. But... where the hell have you been?" she asked with a little heat.

Link stared back, answering with silence. He was not a man to show his sadness, but Queen Zelda could see it in his eyes.

"I couldn't find my friend." was all Link said as he raised his chin.

"I'm sorry." Queen Zelda whispered.

"But I did not give up. I came back, because I sensed the malevolence." Link said, not having to speak anything else for Queen Zelda to know what he meant.

"You had the dream as well?" Queen Zelda asked, a little surprised. Link nodded.

After a few uneasy seconds, Queen Zelda became worried, eyebrows furrowing.

"Link, you look exhausted. Why didn't you use the Prelude of Light to return to the Temple of Time?" Queen Zelda asked, and for the first time she had seen, Link's face became... sad? Worried? Was he keeping something from her? "Link, what's wrong?" the queen asked, but Link said nothing.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Sheik chirped, but mother just stroked his head.

"Link, we need to talk." the queen nearly ordered, then stepped forth, and Link turned around to walk with her, his mail armour jingling.

He would have liked to see an old friend waiting for him at the entrance to the courtyard, but Zelda's guardian was elsewhere. In fact, Link would like to see quite a few friends sooner or later, when he had the time.

Link found himself in the queen's bedroom, seated at her desk. He great helm was on the floor beside his chair.

The prince and princess played chess by the fireplace, which had a small fire going.

Queen Zelda walked around the desk, and then produced a scroll. The Queen of Hyrule then suddenly slammed the scroll in front of Link, causing him to flinch in his iconic manner, and he looked back at her warily. She then sat at the back of her desk, and made herself comfortable. Zelda lifted her legs and placed them atop the desk, one over the other, revealing a pair of long, sexy leather boots. She crossed her arms and stared back at Link, clearly not happy.

"Before you arrived, that scroll was delivered to me by a Sheikah man who I did not know even existed. I spoke for hours with him, he called himself Ira. I was quite surprised that he happened to have a letter that correlated with my dreams. He told me he was Impa's uncle, who was in hiding due to the arrival of malevolent forces, keeping himself a secret even from Impa. I thought she was the last Sheikah, but I believed him. He then murdered several castle guards, kidnapped a Gerudo boy held here, stole a horse, and fled." Queen Zelda explained, still unhappy. "Link, and..." she hesitated, head dropping, and she looked hurt, betrayed.

Link's face remained cautious and attentive, but he said nothing. He did not want to say it, but he knew that the Zelda he once knew was no more. Zelda had changed, and Link had a feeling he also changed. She looked back at him.

"As for the Castle Town... things have changed, Link. Many Hylians no longer obey the Royal Family. I have distanced myself from my people, allowing them to rule themselves, and they established a republic... of sorts. I am not opposed to a commonwealth, but occasionally, riots break out, and citizens faithful to Hyrulean tradition are beaten in the streets. To prevent further civil unrest, I allowed the loyal ones to live along the path to Hyrule Castle, where they are safe with my guards. I even paid for the construction of many mansions, my thanks for their loyalty. Now, most citizens are republicans, some are loyalists, and some remain neutral."

The news was rather surprising for Link. He never would have imagined that the people he saved would defy their own monarch by divine right. Memories of that horrible dream rushed through Link's thoughts. There could only be one plausible explanation.

"Legion... they are corrupting the people." Link said quietly. Zelda nodded. "What do you know about the Princess of Suffering?" he asked, Zelda shrugged.

"Nothing. My dreams, and the letter, warned us of this false princess, but she did not communicate with me. How about you, Link?" Zelda replied, but Link did not react. The two remained silent, Queen Zelda expecting Link to say something, but then the princess and prince knocked over a few chess pieces and arguing about something.

"No, it's my turn!" Princess Zelda whined, picking up a rook her brother had captured with a bishop.

"No, it's not! You already moved your knight!" Sheik countered, the two grabbing at each other's chess pieces. The two siblings then noticed mother and Link staring at them, and the children immediately stopped fighting, and slowly went back to their game in a calm, quiet manner.

"We only have a few leads." Queen Zelda said, looking back at Link.

"Ira, Legion, the Apostles, and the Great Deku Tree." Link answered, Zelda nodded, but she stared at Link with a pair of demanding eyes. She did not forget his silence after her question. Without saying anything, Link stood and picked up his great helm.

"Link?" Queen Zelda asked as he just turned around and took his leave. Swinging her legs off the desk, Zelda jogged after Link, her children watching her. She grabbed Link's shoulder just as he opened the door. "Link!" Zelda shouted, and the two made eye contact, and paused.

"I must return to the forest, and protect the Kokiri. The Great Deku Tree will know what to do, just as our dreams foretold." Link said, then stepped out the queen's quarters. Zelda walked after him.

"Link, wait! Let me help you!" Zelda exclaimed, but Link ignored her.

Zelda ran to Link, grabbing his arm and pulling it over herself, slamming the mail-clad hero's back down to the floor, he dropping his helm. Zelda then mounted Link's front, her knees at either side of him. Link's surprised face was priceless. Leaning over to be face-to-face with Link, hair hanging over him, Zelda just narrowed her eyes.

"I'm going with you, whether you like it or not."


End file.
